Magic and Remnant
by Battleship Vytalia
Summary: Finding himself portkeyed away by a master magical assassin and sent to a strange world he barely survives the splinching injuries however he is found unconscious by a girl with blood red hair and bright green eyes. A few weeks later the girl is off to school and he is left alone however he discovers a certain drunk bird and after a mutual agreement they travel together
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 1**

1st January 2027 (Japan Calendar)

Japan

Tokyo Airport

Walking slightly he moved through the airport his long golden blonde hair swishing ever so slightly behind him already he had gotten past customs and now headed to the area he presumed was where he was to wait. It wasn't his first time to Japan not as it his first time flying to the country he had done so once before however this time it was different because he could have simply apparated to the small island nation rather than being given a ticket for a plane. Then again with the tightening of security by Japans new minister of magic it was no real surprise not that he could blame them although it was annoying since if he hadn't been the famous person that he was he could have gotten away with it by hiding himself but he was too well known.

Still moving past all the other people located in the airport he soon found a bench and sat down unlike the travellers he didn't carry a bag instead just keeping his belongings inside his magically enchanted pocket. Anyone who wore a shrunk chest around their neck was asking to be attacked and robbed by magical's who noticed them however he turned his mind away from his belongings and onto the people observing them calmly.

He could feel a slight amount of tension in the air something emphasised by the armed members of the Japanese Self Defence Force as they walked about with assault rifles in their hands. It was a decent reaction to have especially since the terrorist attack on an airport in the U.S just a few days ago. As he waited he decided to entertain himself he did this by taking out his ipad and opened up the internet checking the news although his eyes were constantly scanning the area for possible threats or the person who would take him to his destination.

It was around then minutes later when he noticed the person who was to come and collect him she was young probably in her mid twenties and had likely just started teaching at Mahoutokoro the Japanese magical school. As soon as she saw him she instantly headed his way with a bit of speed added in her step in reply Nat got off the bench and walked towards her.

"Mr Tempest" His accent was a bit broken as were her words but he could gain the gist that she didn't know how to fully speak English in respect to the woman he replied in Japanese giving the woman a nod of his head.

"Indeed I take it we're off" The woman seemingly relived that he could speak Japanese nodded her head in agreement as she realised that her companion was ready to leave.

"Yes this way we have a photo booth in the airport" Following the woman Nat noticed that she didn't speak much instead just walking in front of him to show him the way soon enough they reached an abandoned photo both that had a muggle repelling charm located on it. Passing through the charm he saw the obvious portkey cautious he quickly drew his wand and checked it over the results were that it was entirely safe to use and his magic couldn't sense anything either. Stepping into the device was the last thing he knew as in that moment the woman silently activated the other secret port key that had been attached to the device sending the young wizard to the middle of nowhere.

Kingdom of Mistral

Bright emerald eyes took in the scene as she moved slowly over the bright green hills whilst the light of the sun gave its warm rays onto her pale white skin. The heat of this area was warmer than where she lived normally but she was used to it and there was the nice gentle breeze to cool her down if necessary. Still she wasn't careless as she walked her weapons located on her back held there due to the magnetic clips on the back of her amour all the while she felt her long blood red hair blow gently in its ponytail design that helped reduce the risk of it getting in her way when she fought.

Her reason for coming out was soon made clear as she walked up a hill and looked into the horizon seeing her quarry of black monsters that had white bone like pieces of armour attached to them. These creatures obviously noticed her as they turned around stopping their action and began heading her way stalking her like she was their pray and had she not been trained then perhaps she would have. Still within a few moments the red and gold sword on her back detached and flew forth into her hand all the while it transformed its shape from that of a sword to a rifle. Looking down the sights her body from constant training and practise instinctively knew where to aim and as such she squeezed the trigger unleashing the ammunition.

A powerful explosion ripped through the first creatures head the weapon they were fired from may not have had the same impact as sniper rifle but with well aimed shots the gun could also kill the creatures with one shot. She wasted no time however in her shots as she constantly changed her target aiming for each of the world like creatures head allowing the power of the fire ammunition to put in more power as it collided with their bodies. This carried on for several more of the creatures until eventually they had enough and instead of stalking they howled loudly giving a cry of death and charged forward towards her.

She continued to shoot at the creatures as they approached but instead of the more accurate head shots she instead aimed for the mass of the body allowing the bullets to smash against their chests impacting force. She managed to kill a few of them this way before they eventually managed to close in on her position preventing ranged combat but that was completely fine with her. As the first monster took a swing at her its massive claws threatening to cleave straight through flesh she raised her shield prevented such an event immediately after she thrust her right arm up allowing her to stab directly into its chest killing it instantly. However she didn't not linger as straight after she pulled her spear out transforming it into a sword as she dropped to the floor avoiding a lunge from another creature all the while she slashed her blade across it abdomen causing it to fall back. This wasn't the first attacker however as she soon found herself getting surrounded by more of the creatures but she never worried instead just fighting changing her weapon constantly allowing her to cut thrust and shoot anything that attacked her all the whilst performing incredible acrobatic manoeuvres that would have been considered impossible by some people. The fight carried on for only a few minutes before what had been a whole pack of creatures were slaughtered resting on the floor dissolving into a black dust preventing the examination of the biology.

With her first set of creatures dead she carried on forward until she found the river occasionally she had to kill the odd creature that attacked her but it was easy work. She rested for a small amount of time by the river her weapons still in her hands allowing her to be ready to attack any creature they may come this way. As she rested she heard the sounds of howling instantly she stood up that was the sound of when a creature had found a meal looking around her she couldn't see any of the wolves.

"Someone's in trouble" looking in the direction of where the howl had originated from she quickly burst forth sprinting incredibly quickly as she tried to reach the people who were being attacked before the monsters got to them. As soon as she reached the top of the hill she could easily make out where the injured person was as they lay on the ground whilst the monsters stalked slowly sniffing the air as they smelt free food. Wasting no time she burst forth leaping with her spear in her hand she soon found herself moving quickly towards the creature.

As she descended from her powerful jump towards the injured person she threw her sword at the first creature's neck carving it into before she then commanded it to transform and skewer the second monster from behind. After that the spear came back to her allowing her to continue the one sided slaughter as she made quick work of the monsters leaving them like she had done to the others nothing but a disintegrating pile of black. As soon as she had finished destroying the monsters she instantly rushed to the injured person's side and looked in horror.

The boy well young teenager was covered in deep heavy cuts blood pouring out from his wounds coating his skin as he lay there unconscious. Panicking she quickly placed her hand where his heart was located seeing how much aura he had left however much to her horror he hadn't had his aura unleashed leaving him to recover naturally. As she looked at the dying body she quickly summoned up her aura and allowed it to flow into his soul all the while saying the chant to unlock his aura.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release you're soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." As she spoke her body glowing red as her aura was activated she saw the younger boy begin to glow an indigo colour this was soon followed by her watching as the deep cuts began to close on themselves. Sighing in relief she looked at the person she had saved; it wasn't much and he would still need attention but at least now he wasn't at risk of dying in any moment. With that done she placed her shield and sword back on to her armours back and then slowly bent over the teenager. Carefully placing her strong athletic arms underneath him she began to pick him rising slowly as she did so allowing him to crunch up into a more comfortable shape to carry.

"Lets get you somewhere safe" With those words said she turned around the body of the stranger in hand and began to head towards her current place of residence although this time with a quicker pace.

Later

"Grandmother" Bursting through the door she came face to face with her grandmother standing at the kitchen likely preparing something for dinner. As soon as she called her name the woman turned around to face her only for her eyes to widen in shock as she took in the appearance of her granddaughter holding a bloody body concern and panic in her eyes as she did not know what to do. Rushing towards her she quickly looked at the body he was young probably fourteen if she was to guess but what concerned her more was the amount of blood that he was covered in like he had been slashed multiple times by a heavy blade.

"Upstairs now" Her emerald eyes granddaughter took the order instantly rushing upstairs and then into the room she was staying in. Lowering him onto the bed and placing his head on a pillow she turned around to the sound of her grandmother rushing up the stairs with several things in her time.

Looking at the body the grandmother quickly chose the pair of scissors where she then proceeded to cut straight through the plain black t-shirt revealing his chest. Straight afterwards she got her granddaughter to hold him up whilst she took of his black jacket, grimacing she looked at the wounds and then to his legs which were also bleeding. Realising what she had to she turned to her granddaughter.

"Time for you to go I'm going to have to look over his whole body and I don't think you want to be here when I do" Blushing brightly at the implication her granddaughter quickly left the room allowing the older woman the freedom she needed to cut the trousers of and what lay under that. With his clothes removed she could get a full look at his injuries and see what had happened.

"Dear dust what happened to you" The body of the stranger was covered in bad cuts although she could tell that his aura had started to repair the damage in fact to her surprise he was recovering a lot faster than a person should have from the deepness and lethality of the cuts she could imagine. In fact the cuts were already stopping to bleed although it was difficult to tell since he was caked in blood as evidence by the fact that it was already starting to turn black. Needing to see the injuries closer just in case she dipped one of the cloths she had brought in warm water where it was then used to gently rub away the blood staining the cloth instead of his chest.

Later

"How is he" As her grandmother descended down the stairs she stood up suddenly concern in her eyes as she worried about the condition of the stranger. In response to her question her grandmother gave her a comforting smile.

"He's doing rather well healing a lot quicker than normal even with aura" She gave a sigh of relief a she heard that it was good to know that she hadn't failed.

"That's good I was so worried" Her grandmother smirked at her slightly as she noticed the concern in her emerald eyes a joke coming to her mind.

"You know I never would have thought that this would be how you first brought a boy home I bet it's not what you had intended" She blushed scarlet at the implication her eyes looking at her grandmother in shock for making such a joke.

"Grandma" Her tone was one of shock however before she could continue her grandmother carried on her teasing.

"And to think it's a younger boy as well" Her faced blushed even deeper as she heard the mischievous tone. "Is he even legal?" That was it her body had just turned entirely red from embarrassment as she stuttered unable to comprehend that her grandmother had said such a thing.

"Grandmother" She screeched slightly only to glare at her when she heard her chuckle and grin at her in response she frowned whilst glaring at her.

"Oh come on its funny" She just continued to glare realising that this wasn't working the grandmother calmed her voice and tone down to a more serious one rather than being humorous. "Anyway he's going to be fine though I wonder how he got those wounds there's too many of them for it to be bandits and they're all rather neatly done plus they had all been inflicted at the same time." Scrunching her eyes as she tried to think of why such a thing would happen she tried to picture the scene. "What happened exactly?"

"I was resting by the river when I heard the beowolves howl that they had found dinner when I arrived I saw only him lying there with the beowolves approaching" The grandmother sighed as she heard that before she than thought of something else. "Were there any tracks of trails of blood?"

"No the only blood was there in a pile as if he had just appeared" shaking her head in response the old woman sighed as she stood back up again and headed to the kitchen intent on carrying on cooking dinner whilst her granddaughter followed her continuing on the conversation.

"That rules out torture and he was also in the middle of nowhere so he couldn't have been dumped" She looked horrified at the implication of some person just taking a sword to a young teenager carving out their flesh piece by piece.

"Perhaps he was travelling and something occurred" He grandmother nodded he head as she carried on cutting up the vegetables now that she had washed her hands.

"Probably we can always ask him when he wakes up though for tonight you're going to have to take the guest room" The old woman smirked as she watched her granddaughter realise that she had rushed him up to her bed rather than the guest room.

"It was the closest room" Defending her actions she saw the smirk on her grandmother's face as she replied.

"True but should I have to worry about you two in the future" Once again the old woman chuckled as watched the younger girl blush bright red in embarrassment it was such fun to do and she made it all too easy.

"It's not like that he was injured and I brought him home"

"Whatever you say" She chuckled more as the seventeen year old red head glare at her before turning around sitting down on a chair her hands crossed on her chest as she waited for dinner to be finished. "Not on the chair go get washed you are also covered in blood "Blinking as it dawned on her that she hadn't yet cleaned her body off after carrying the blood soaked teenager. As such without any hesitation she rushed upstairs stripping herself of her bronze armour and weapons where she placed them in the guest room before walking into the bathroom. Quickly stepping into the shower she turned on the hot water allowing it to run down her as it washed all of the red liquid off her body and into the drain.

Eventually after she had finished her shower she quickly snuck back into her room and picked out some fresh clothing before heading downstairs to join her grandmother for dinner.

The next day

Pale eye lids fluttered open revealing dull violet eyes beneath them for a few moments they looked around the immediate thing they could see which happened to be a red quilt. Suddenly the widened as the memories and past events of the owner replayed in their mind informing them of what had occurred. At the same time the body sat up alert and ready for anything commanding their eyes to scan the nearby area to see where they were where they came to look upon a modern room.

The room wasn't fancy nor did it seem to have any emotional attachments instead appearing to be a guest room yet the slight smell of perfume indicated that a female had stayed here recently. While he was looking he was also aware of how he was complexly naked the feeling of the fabric brushing against his bear skin informing him of that piece of information; he also noticed that he was completely bear not even his hidden invisible wand holster was on his wrist instead it was laying on a chair at the opposite side of the room. Whist the chair was simple being made of wood it also held his clothing or what appeared to be left of it since it contained only his wand holster and his black leather jacket whilst everything else was gone. However somebody had left him some other form of clothes as they lay neatly on the chair with what appeared to be a note on them.

As he got out of the bed he focused more on his magic it was utterly depleted not gone but there wasn't anything he could use at this moment not even to clean himself off or pull fresh new clothes out of his jacket pocket. At the same time however he felt different it wasn't bad if anything it was like a part of him had been released whatever that meant but it wasn't anything he had felt before however he could also feel like it was meant to be there like it was assisting him. Walking up to the chair he could get a look at the sort of clothes that had been left for him un wrapping them and pulling them out though the style of clothes at least to him had gone out of fashion thousands of years ago. It was a toga of all things like the Romans and Ancient Greeks had worn however mixed with the incredible heat of the location he was in due to the weather he could tell it was more suited for the climate. After that he quickly read the note and slightly to his surprise he discovered it was English something that if his suspicions were correct shouldn't generally be possible.

 _When you wake up please have a shower, second door on the left before heading downstairs. As for your clothes they had to be cut up so I could clean the wound however the toga should cover you quite well._

Putting the note down back where he had found it he quickly decided to investigate the room he was in, clearly it was occupied and owned but by whom he didn't know. Walking over to the chest of drawers he quickly pulled it open to reveal a set of red panties and going by the rough dimensions he would state that they belonged to a teenager in her early late teens consisting of the ages of 17-19. How did he know this well his sister had forced him to go shopping wither her when he was younger and had popped round for a visit asking his opinion on what she should wear to attract a guys attention. Not that she should have been asking him since he was ten at the time and had none which carried to this day, interest in romance. Still the rest of the clothes were simple a white t-shirt some blue jeans and trainers although he idly noticed that the bra size was far bigger than average and was also red. He also quickly spotted some red lip stick as well as some green eyes shadow although besides that no makeup apart from that though the room was pretty barren making him believe that this was not the occupiers typical residence.

With his quick examination done he followed the directions walking into the distinctly Ancient Roman Mediterranean feel house that still had some technology in places such as light bulbs . Walking into the hallway he could see a small amount pictures hanging on the wall showcasing who he assumed were the residents; first there was a young couple who had obviously gotten married which was followed by kids and then those kids grown up who also had a wedding photo which after wards there was a picture of a little girl. Moving onto the next picture he could see that girl grown up or at least to his age of fourteen with long blood red hair and rather magnificent bright emerald eyes honestly it was like looking at a picture of Lilly Potter in her childhood. In fact the similarities were rather uncanny and the witch had only gotten more recognition with her son changing the history and forcing it to be taught in history, a rather annoying example of trying to force their political beliefs down children's throats after the war.

As for what the girl wore now that was strange, it seemed to be a take on ancient Greek armour with the shield and sword design as well as the shape of the armour although it looked rather thin and weak being made of bronze. After that was the bronze helmet thing he didn't know what they were called but it seemed to contribute to her look although he could see some problems with her armour since it didn't protect the shoulders or anything above her breasts allowing for a bullet or an arrow to easily pass through and end her. After that was the blood red sash and the small amount of pouches attached to a belt that ran across it. It was obvious the girl was a warrior and likely a talented one if the way she was holding that trophy was an example in fact there were three other pictures just like it each increasing with age all the while the girl got taller and more physically mature.

The focus on the girl as well as being placed after the first two sets of people indicated that she was a grandchild of some kind and going by the quality of the photo itself being rather clear rather than the old corny ones he was use to likely meant it was taken recently or in the last few years with the improvement of technology. However if that was true that confused things since to his knowledge there were no tournaments where female teenagers dressed like amazons and fought each other something that would have made the news or something he would have heard of with his own professional career at least as a world class under seventeen duellist anyway. Still it was confusing he would have to get some answers out of the residence though he couldn't just use legimency since he was still recovering from that port key incident and wherever it had taken him.

Carrying on into the bathroom he soon found the shower and turned it on before getting in and started washing himself. As the warm water cascaded down him meeting the blood that had caked onto his body pushing it off and allowing it to fall down and into the bath he thought more about the woman who had managed to sneak up on him earlier.

Obviously the woman had been talented likely an assassin as well as somebody who had contacts on the inside since only he and the Japanese magical government knew who would be picking him up since he was such a well known person. They were also highly trained in transportation magic if they were able to hide a second portkey as well as lethal since they had likely used polyjuice as he could easily sense magic being used. She also likely didn't attack him with magic since there was a very high chance she would have been defeated he may have only been fourteen but he was still a world class champion graduating Hogwarts by the end of his first term in his fourth year with only outstanding alongside grabbing his GCSE's all at A* whilst he could also speak read and write a multitude of languages, become the first and only person to figure out how to get magic to work with electricity as well as a few other things. So yeah he was considered a prodigy albeit one with no friends not that he needed them anyway they only got in the way and forced attention elsewhere plus that required playing nice something he only did when needed.

But that still left the question of where was he again he assumed somewhere along the lines of Italy or Greece due to the temperature however the language and photos indicated something different. And he also simply couldn't use magic since he was exhausted likely from having to defend his body from being torn apart into shreds by the portkey but that still didn't explain why he felt different almost as if he was better ad strange as it was protected. It was likely that the locals could help put most likely the red headed girl in the picture and the grandma since there seemed to be a general lack of family things that would resemble the day to day living of parents and children. Still figuring out where he had ended up was rather important though with any luck the family could get him in contact with the local British embassy and get him back home.

Eventually once he had washed himself clean using the soap and shampoo provided he made his way back to the girl's room and looked at the clothes before he sighed internally as he realised that he would have to wear a toga. Perhaps it was a cultural thin g since that was the only real excuse for a modern society to be wearing such old fashioned clothing as the everyday choice of apparel when they obviously had access to modern clothes. Still with the strange clothing fit around his body he walked back out of the room and headed downstairs so that he could see the people who had apparently decided to take him in under their care and look after him from what he guessed were splinching wounds.

Finally getting down the stairs he was soon met with the people who had looked after him and they looked just like the pictures the first was obviously a grandma with her old white hair and slightly crinkles face although he guessed she was older than she looked. And the second was the apparently Amazon girl however instead of her hair being tied up in a ponytail like the pictures suggested it had been let loose allowing it to move gently as she moved forward towards him her bright emerald pools noticing him instantly.

"Oh hello" Instantly he went on the alert internally it may have been the way he was raised but he was pretty sure that people were not that friendly with strangers inside their house however this girl was incredibly cheerful smiling at him incredibly largely.

"Hello" His reply was a polite but short answer although the woman blinked slightly before she smiled slightly for some strange reason but then she went back to talking.

"I'm so glad you are awake I was worried you might have needed to see a hospital" That was one thing he filed away for further knowledge the fact that this place had hospitals indicated that they had at least some grasp on medical knowledge which by extension indicated civilization and cities.

"No if feel much better thank you though can you tell me where I am" Instantly the girls bright emerald green eyes shone as she moved closer to Nat.

"You're in Gale Rock Village in the Kingdom of Mistral" Internally Nat blinked at the name whilst the first name was more than likely going to go over his head the second which sounded like the name of a country shouldn't have or at least sound similar to other countries in part of the world. Normally in such a situation he would have used legimency to pluck the information from the girls mind but with him currently recovering from the assassination plot it would appear that he would have to use more mundane methods.

"I'm sorry to say I've never heard of Mistral could you tell me what continent is it on" If Nat was going to bet money on this strange land then he would have stated either Africa or Europe even if the second was incredibly doubtful if his theory was correct. However as he watched the girl blink in confusion for not recognising the name of the kingdom she then soon smiled again indicating that she was ready to give him answers to his question.

"Sure Mistral is located on Anima and is one of the four Kingdoms alongside Vale, Atlas and Vacuou" Again Nat didn't have a clue he had never heard of any of these continents and whilst he didn't speak that many languages the few he did speak being mostly old and used only for magical purposes he was pretty sure that no language referred to any of the continents or countries in such a manner.

"It seems I'm a little confused, how many continents are there?" This was a pretty big question to ask if his theory of him somehow travelling back into the time of Ancient Greece were correct than the girl would only be able to give a rogue approximation.

"Uhm well besides Anima there's Sanus the largest continent and hosts the Kingdoms of Vacuo and Vale, then there's Menagerie which were given to the Faunus and there's also Solitas to the north where Atlas is and finally there is Draconis" Nat said nothing as he heard the words but also translated them, for instance Solitas meant Loneliness or Solitude in Latin, Draconis meant dragon, Vacuo meant in isolation. Besides that though the girl had only mentioned five continents now to some people in the world this would be normal but to others like himself it was strange since he had been brought up with seven though the South Americans were typically rather touchy at being told they lived in another continent to the Americans. Personally he would have had either ten or eleven continents splitting them up by culture which would have consisted of: North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, India, Middle East, Oceania, Russia, and Antarctica. However that was by culture and would likely cause other people to say there was more or less but the fact stood that the girl had stated five continents and four kingdoms although possibly five going by what she said about these Faunus people. Going by that logic and if this was Earth, (though he was gaining a horrible sneaking suspicion that it wasn't) then the kingdoms would have to be rather large and rich for so few nations to exist.

"I see can't say I've heard of them from where grew up" Blinking the girl tried to think about the strangers accent she had never heard it before and she would admit that it was the nicest one she had heard before in her life. She didn't know how to explain it other than cultured and noble like he was from some kind of fantasy land in a book all she knew was that she adored it.

"Well where did you grow up" Looking at the girl he wondered if he should tell her; the information he had gained indicated that he was not anywhere he knew or had heard of and the same went for the girl since she had seemed to be slightly confused by his accent at first. However as much as he wanted to hide information he needed to learn more about his current whereabouts and if he was lucky perhaps the girl or her family couldn't point him to the nearest British Embassy.

"London capital of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" The girl blinked as she heard the name but it was soon made apparent that she had no idea either where that was located or even where it was; taking another guess Nat decided to go with the older names of the island. "England, Britannia, Albion"

"I'm sorry I can't say I've heard of any of them" All of a sudden the girl's eyes went wide before she smiled at him. "Let me get my scroll than you can point me to where you grew up" With that the red headed girl rushed out the room to locate what Nat assumed was another term used for phone or ipad since the technology in the house seemed to indicate that level of science even if the two of them were wearing ancient clothing. "Here I've got it" Rushing back down the stairs Nat soon found himself handed what appeared to be an tablet but it was both thinner and see through especially compared to his ipad which was still stuck in his internal pocket however taking the item he quickly looked at the map of the world she had given him.

Then he blinked, His eyes scanned all over the map taking in its shapes and geography but much to his internal horror he saw that none of the continents he was used to was there in fact the only one that looked like it was even in the remote looking right place was Menagerie. Looking at the many buttons that were located on this app he quickly pressed some until he got a location of settlements but even then there were far fewer than there should have been although he noticed un-amusedly that every single kingdom had decided to name itself after its capital. Quickly going through the other choices that highlighted different parts of the map as well as the name of this world he was soon met with the harsh realisation that he was not on Earth anymore.

"Bugger"

Internally his mind started to race, he hadn't detected a single lie from the girl in fact she seemed to be incredibly truthful far more so than others and she was also looking at him in concern. But the girl wasn't his problem right now what was however was the very fact that he was apparently on another planet, the only logical explanation was that the port key had to have somehow crossed over a massive space or something along those lines like entering another dimension explaining why his magic was so exhausted. He could apparate the far distances even into space if he wanted such as from the north to the south pole but even he had his limits and he didn't have a dam clue where this world would be. Sure he had studied astrology as did the others at Hogwarts but that didn't mean they could randomly discover where in the universe he was yet alone fashion a way to get home and there was no chance that he would ever be powerful enough to transport himself light years in distance if they were still in the same universe.

If he decided to find the portkey and try to replicate the magic it could end in disaster and there was no chance that the portkey would have a return destination on so it must have just been random destination. And even in the odd chance that he would have been able to replicate the magic and found the destination of his home he didn't know what type of travel had been used, he doubted he was even in his own universe after all humans on other planets with what looked to be similar technology it wasn't possible leaving the most likely solution that he was in some kind of other reality. The thought wasn't impossible as wizards they had discovered that there were such other universes although contacting them or crossing over wasn't possible at that moment.

As the situation hit him like a nuclear bomb did Japan in World War Two many things became apparent and the first was everything that he would never see again. Britain his island home and all its splendour would never be visited by him again, The houses of parliament, Big Ben, Windsor castle, HMS Belfast, The Tower of London, Stonehenge, Hogwarts. So many sights and sounds then there was magic, never would he be able to learn more about the art from around the world as he had been planning to, starting with Japan instead he only had the library that he carried on his person and that was by luck because he had been in the process of moving house. There was also family never would he see his sister again, he would never see her smile nor attend her wedding with Ant even after he had just given his approval to the soldier. Well at least he had put aside a large amount of his money for them even if he was a millionaire due to being a world class duellist he generally didn't use it and as such he was glad he had put a clause in saying that if anything happened to him it went to her. However that was not it there were so many things he would never see, hear or experience again in fact all that he would ever have of not only his home country but the world he had once lived on was what he had brought with him, he was just grateful he had been in the process of moving when it occurred.

But that wasn't it besides all the things he had lost there was so much more he had to deal with on this world, he knew nothing about the people besides that they were human. There was also culture, history the strange feeling he could feel, like it was protecting him and connected to his soul. His money was utterly worthless after all what good was a pound sterling in a different world where the British Empire had never existed. As for his magic and items he couldn't access them at the moment since his magical was likely recovering from keeping him alive and whilst he felt much better than when the pain had begun he wasn't up to the position where he could take on multiple Aurors at once and kick their asses.

As for himself well he was nothing he did not exist here, no records for him to be a normal citizen of any place, no connections or family (Friends didn't matter he had never had any nor did he particularly care for them since all they did was waste time) and he now found himself purely at the mercy of the girl and her family for what could be an unknown period of time though he presumed weeks since he was recovering faster than normal but he was far more drained then he had even been before.

As he looked into those worried green eyes he steeled himself; he was a Ravenclaw and worked on cold hard facts and figures as such worrying would do him no good. Anger would also be useless it clouded the mental process and made a person more likely to make stupid decisions plus he was British they had endured the blitz and so many other things and they did not wear their hearts on their sleeves instead they kept calm and carried on. He may be on another planet but he was still a Tempest they may be an insignificant family with their history only going back as far as Waterloo when the King made them magical nobility for saving his life but he had a responsibility to carry out. Another thing was that there was no time for mourning at the moment for now he had to act fast and think intelligently.

Telling the girl about his situation would make him seem mad and he didn't particularly wish to be called insane and dragged off to the mental asylum. And with no magic there was no way he could prove that he was telling the truth on the matter however that didn't mean he would not be able to get away with being completely dumbfounded by this world he just needed the right excuse.

"Are you okay" The concerned tone of the girl was made more obvious as placed her hand on his shoulder likely in an attempt to try and stable him as she looked more closely into his eyes. It was almost funny if he had been back home he wouldn't of allowed such a scenario to occur but right now without his power and weakened physically he had to put up a good front socially as he needed to use/be helped by these people.

"Yes the last thing I remember was that I was in a fight" Putting up an act of thinking he quickly started to spin a reasonable story of why he wouldn't remember such things and as cliché as it may have been Amnesia was the first thing that came to mind. "They caught me off guard and the last thing I remember was being hit and then being knocked out" The girls face showed even more worry as she looked at him it was made rather obvious by this fact that she seemed to be far more caring than the average person and especially so by the people he knew besides his sister than again the people he knew were all politicians.

"Do you know where you were having a fight?" At the new tone of voice Nat was quickly turning around to see the owner who as he had assumed was an old woman likely the girl's grandma although she looked at him with suspicion.

"It was in a large public building but it was out of the way and secluded but beyond that I don't know" He had on purposely left out the fact that he was in a city since if that had been asked he may have grown more suspicion of he had not been capable of telling them where said city was and without enough information that could screw him over.

"Your accent is strange I don't recognise it, do you know roughly where you are from" Briefly there was a flash of the map that the girl had shown him, he distinctly remembered an island the size of the U.K north of the central continent.

"I grew up on an island north of a green continent roughly in the centre but that's it" Nodding slowly the woman lessened her gaze but it was still obvious to one such as Nat who had grown up in Hogwarts that she hadn't lost it entirely.

"Vytal the island your describing sounds like Vytal but how did you end up here you must have been in one of the four other kingdoms" Shrugging his shoulders gently he gave the woman a small confused look.

"I don't know my memories seem pretty hazy at the moment due to the pain" Again the woman nodded before she walked forward a glass of water in her hand before she sat down next to Nat motioning for her granddaughter to do the same but on the opposite chair.

"You were attacked pretty badly, most likely by swords there's a good chance that some White Fang members got you and then teleported you somewhere in the middle of nowhere so that you would bleed out and die." Her questioning tone took on a slight amount of distaste leading the wizard to believe that whoever these white fang people were they weren't average people and sounded more like a gang.

"You'll have to forgive me, my attackers seem to have done a number on my memories; do you think you could describe these white fang" Letting out a sight the old woman just looked at the young teenager truly wondering why he would have been attacked so badly.

"The White fang is a terrorist group that attacks humans and occasionally the odd Faunus that disagrees with them. At first they were a political movement who hoped to get equal rights as humans however a few years ago they changed and became radically violent now they want to overthrow the four kingdoms governments and place themselves at the top and treat humans as they had been treated". While he didn't show it Nat could very much draw parallels to quite a few groups back home who seemed to be doing the same thing although by the way they were described they seemed to be more generally considered terrorist's and had more hatred against them than some other groups.

"I see and I take it these Faunus aren't human" For a moment both the red headed girl and her grandmother stared at the wizard looking at him as if he had never heard the world before yet alone never seen a Faunus. However before the old woman gave a snarky reply the emerald eyed girl looked at the wizard in concern likely due to her belief that the attack on him had hurt his memories worse than they thought.

"Yes can you not remember them they're just like humans except they have animal features like tails, horns, ears and other features" In contrast to the girls general worry about him the grandmother however seemed far more disturbed although not by him in particular if anything it was due to the effects on his memories. However she soon offered a small smile likely in a way to try and comfort him.

"It seems that that whoever did attack you really did a number on you and as a result your mind tried to protect itself and implanted false memories of a strange place I really think you should see a doctor" Internally Nat couldn't help but feel ever so slightly offended at the woman essentially calling his home a figment of his imagination. It was very much real then again if he was in their position and wasn't able to read a person's mind and see their memories and therefore tell if they were telling the truth than he could very much understand their scepticism.

"I'm feeling fine although I do appreciate the offer however I'm afraid that I won't be able to pay you for such a thing" It was both strange and not strange having free healthcare; at home he was use to it thanks to the NHS and he also knew that many countries didn't have that benefit but even then he had insurance just in case but there that would really be useful. As well as that since he couldn't use magic to look in their minds and discover how things worked it was better to work on the assumption that he would have to pay for such a thing.

"That's okay I would be happy to pay for you if it means that you can recover your memories" While not showing it Nat couldn't help but wonder how naive this girl was, just offering to pay a persons potential medical expenses wasn't normal. And yet he could tell that the girl was generally being kind and seemed to actually care about him a stranger she had just met and the excitement that she spoke with it was almost as if she had rarely had a regular conversation with somebody her age.

"While I appreciate the offer Miss" Staying quiet he watched as the girl blinked as she realised that she hadn't introduced herself then again neither did he.

"Oh nice to meet you friend I'm Pyrrha Nikos but you can just call me Pyrrha" Taking the outstretched hand he noticed that even with taking the tall girls muscular frame into account she was stronger than she appeared almost as if she had the enhanced wizard physical abilities but he could also tell that the girl wasn't a witch. Yet her strength seemed almost unnatural especially as she was putting far more into a handshake then what would normally be acceptable.

"In that case my name is Nathanael Tempest but people call me Nat since it cuts down time" Shaking the hand he watched as the girl seemingly smiled far more than a person normally would when meeting a person that they were not either infatuated with or excited to meet leaving him to assume that perhaps the girl wasn't use to having friends. There could be any number of reasons for such a thing like a false personality, not having the time to make friends but more likely going of the girls picture with her being the winner of some tournaments her fame and likely wealth got in the way with people caring about that rather than her.

"Its nice to meet you Nat if you need anything just ask otherwise me and Grandmother will try and help you get better" Again the way spoke all naive and incredibly kindly was very strange not just because of what they were offering but because his normal interactions with people resolved around discovering hidden motives and how to exploit them if necessary.

"Thank you and perhaps you could help me with learning the basics like history, culture, science and that lot" Looking at the inquisitive younger boy Pyrrha couldn't wait but help for the first time she had met somebody although somebody younger than her who did not treat her like some kind of superstar and want to capitalise on her fame.

"All right in that case we should do start with history mixed in with some culture and geography, while I don't have my school books I can still help you out with my scroll" Taking the scroll back from Nat she quickly looked back at the map and then began explaining about this world called Remnant.

* * *

This story is one of three new ones I am creating it uses the same main oc from my original story of Magic and Eldertale (Harry Potter+Log Horizon crossover). This story as well as the others may not be continued since it was something i am trying out however i will be creating a new poll on my profile so people can vote on which story they would like continued on the most.

If this story is carried on some things to know is that there will typically be mistakes in sentence structure and punctuation there is also the possibility that since Magic and Eldertale is my main story that i may accidentally reveal things or put in things too early. These stories will also have recent politics, changed timelines and strong opinions of the main character. If you read my first story ahead of this one than you may get a better idea of who the main character is since at the time of publishing this story Magic and eldertales has 29 chapters and 324,397 words.

If you wish to read the other stories they will be under the following titles.

Magic and Eldertale (Original fanfiction, Harry Potter and Log Horizon)

Magic and Gods (New Fanfiction Harry Potter and Danmachi (Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon)

Magic and Warships (New Fanfiction Harry Potter and Kantai (Kancolle collection)

Magic and Remnant (New Fanfiction Harry Potter and RWBY


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 2**

Kingdom of Mistral

Gale Rock Village

It had been a few days ever since he had appeared on this strange new planet apparently slashed to pieces and coated in his own blood barely surviving until his rescuer had come along, In that time with the help of his caretakers ha had been able to learn about this planet called Remnant. Remnant was different to Earth incredibly so however there were some similarities such as that humans existed on the planet, they had also created civilizations to reside in and by extension create different cultures for different parts of the world. Besides the language they spoke being English and a few other things though this world was far different to the one he had grown up on.

Remnant was far more hostile to humanity than Earth was, he had been shown pictures of creatures called Grimm, monsters that attacked and killed both human and Faunus alike, living off negative emotions like fear and anger. This problem was so bad that it had affected the sheer amount of people and the value of land, back home there was nothing like the Grimm. The old hunters of humanity had long been made extinct and while dangerous creatures did reside around the world, they did not grow to the size of the creatures on Remnant nor were they as blood thirsty. One of the biggest examples of this was that on a planet the same size of Earth only four kingdoms did exist and the territory they actively controlled rather than stated was only small.

Each Kingdom here had to be as self reliant as possible since while there was trade the amount of danger lurking meant that people couldn't be too sure if their safety of survival. This had also meant that the economies of kingdoms were not as deeply connected to each other since if something occurred to one than the rest of the world would fall into chaos. Yet despite the threat of Grimm taking land and devastating vital food locations three of the four nations maintained no army leaving their defence in the hands of mercenaries who specifically dealt with these creatures. In all honesty he did not understand that logic this world very much needed nations to be actively maintained, a Grimm incursion could appear at any time but a kingdom would have to rely on mercenaries to get the job done for them.

Apparently these glorified mercenaries were called Huntsman and Huntresses, Heroes who travelled the world killing mindless beats to protect people. Of course though mercenaries were paid far more than a military soldier was and had less accountability just accepting jobs and apparently maintain the peace that the world had enjoyed since the end of the Great War. Of course he had learned and watched videos of these hunters via Pyrrha's scroll and he would not deny that they were devastatingly effective, the sheer speed and power that these people possessed was leaps and bound ahead of both muggle's and magical's, Moving faster than the speed of fighting with such prowess at young ages and that wasn't including the weapons they used that somehow defied all logic yet were incredibly effective as they could have multiple forms.

Perhaps it was the way he was brought up but he did not like the idea of having such powerful people who were far more trained than military personnel just allowed to wonder the planet. Yes they were good but they possessed no accountability and what was to stop these people from just becoming bandits and attacking people since besides another huntsman nobody could stop them. That didn't mean a military was not dangerous as well the regime in place could affect how it was seen and how it acted but in this world there did seem to be a limit on the militaries power. This view seemed to be shared by the leader of the Atlas Military a certain James Ironwood, however he would not be so bold as to say that huntsman should not exist at all, no for this world they served a vital purpose. It was just that for him the idea of mercenaries having so much power and being such a large and credible threat with very little or nothing to stop them besides their morals didn't sit with him well. Added to this what if the hunters came across a threat that they were not capable of handling something that their oversized and complicated weapons couldn't handle. A military had access to important recourses and weapons things which mercenary groups could not typically afford, as a result against a powerful Grimm they could send far more powerful machines to deal with them although he wasn't impressed with what they had built.

Sure these robots looked impressive with their speed and height also he would admit that was not at all an expert in military technology however these weapons seemed pitiful. These large older robots apparently had very weak armour and weak weaponry with the standard bullets penetrating the material it was made of. The bullets didn't go all the way in but it left holes of where the bullets had punctured the machine, it may be slower than these robots but he would take a challenger 2 main battle tank over that crap robot any day. As for these other more human looking robots they were rather pathetic as well with the videos just showing them walk around slowly seemingly missing far more shots than they should for advanced an A.I. And it wasn't just the robots that seemingly performed poorly but the warships that the country used as well. These ships were ridiculously large carried only a rather weak looking force field and some type of laser weapon that could penetrate a force field and hit the target although the damage they did seemed to only be minimal with a short range mostly what was in sight. Compare that to military vessels back home and they would be decimated in a fight and that was just with ships and missiles if he started to include combat aircraft then the military strength of Atlas was rather laughable.

But that made him think of the power source for Remnant a strange crystal known as dust, This crystal was used for everything so much so that there was no need for steam power. If you wanted electricity you bought a lightning crystal if you wanted heat you bought a fire crystal, need to help your land buy an earth crystal, everything in this world was powered by these strange glowing rocks. What else was that their entire civilization relied on it, a natural recourse that with time would likely be mined up especially with the raw amount used for such a small population that Atlas had mined all of its deposits. However unlike earth where there was an emphasis on renewable energy like wind, solar, hydro, and other types this world did not even recognise the problem with the only laces using these types of energy were old buildings. He seriously couldn't help but wonder the utter panic that would grip the people when they realised that the source to all their power and daily living would be gone. On earth while there were now more ways to get power there had always been two main ways of getting something to work which was steam and combustion, both had required some type of fuel to work. In contrast the crystals acted more like batteries which was what had enabled such differences in technology.

The people of Remnant had been flying for far longer than Earth by using dust to weaken gravity around things and then wind dust to move an object with wings changing the direction of the vehicles. Of course though dust had disadvantages, for some reason it only worked on Remnant preventing space travel compared to earth where they had walked on the moon over sixty five years ago. Plus this had hampered growth in certain scientific fields as their rockets consisted mostly of giant dust crystals on the bottom of the rocket and then ignited compared to the sheer complexity of making rocket fuel. Besides it being simple to use and therefore requiring less effort and research going into it which was both good and bad, good since it made more normal things easy to use but bad since new ways of scientific thinking weren't even looked into such as back on earth with nuclear power. On the other hand though dust could be used anywhere on the planet with nothing affecting is use compared to earth where it petrol was at risk of becoming useless when it got to cold. Still from the preferred earths manner of energy use since besides that Atlas didn't have aircraft that were capable of going faster than the speed of sound.

That didn't mean that the people weren't innovative though, the massive cross continental transmit system was an incredibly impressive piece of technology with it working entirely wirelessly rather than Earth. However even this had its flaw as it required all towers to be operation to work enabling one terrorist attack to shut down all world communication, the shape of it as well was also a problem. Yes it was put in the centre of kingdoms as much as possible to protect them but it was a lot easier to attack a CCT than an undersea cable plus there was far less damage done when an undersea cable was cut. However he couldn't fault them for that with what lurked in the waters of this world but still it just broadcasted just h0w vulnerable civilization on this planet was.

As for his time here on Remnant with Pyrrha and her grandmother it was a different experience to earth, not just because of the obvious but also because he was still recovering his magic although physically he was fine. According the red haired girl aura was the physical manifestation of the soul protecting and enhancing the natural body so that they could accomplish the impossible looking things he had seen in fight. Another thing which came with the unlocking of a person's aura was one semblance which was essentially a superpower, some had the ability to create jets of flame, some could enhance their strength of speed and Pyrrha could apparently manipulate polarity. Of course his was not yet discovered but his magic alone would make people drool since it was the ability to manipulate the very fabric of reality, he had ensured that he did not tell the girl this since this type of power could get him in trouble with more powerful people if he started shooting spells off all over the place.

Pyrrha had been incredibly helpful to him over the last few days teaching him history and culture as well as other things, yet he could tell by the way she acted with her excitement of having someone to talk to that she had never had any friends. The reason was obvious after he had asked about the pictures that hung on the walls with her the champion and as such she explained that she had won several tournaments allowing her to gain fame. This had increased after she had accepted other requests making her a star in some adverts and then later even fashioning as a model leaving her pretty friendless as those that spoke to her only cared about her fame. Still the girl did enjoy her own time with her grandmother in her toga when she wasn't teaching him however she had just gone up stairs after speaking with her grandmother about something.

"Nat" Turning his attention to the green eyes girl he immediately noticed that the girl was wearing her combat gear from the pictures alongside her sword and shield but at the same time she had also brought down a spare sword and shield. Recognising the ways she was looking at him he instantly realised what the girl wanted to do.

"You want me to train with you outside" Smiling at him in return Pyrrha watched as the stranger got out of his seat and placed her scroll down on the table in front of him before walking towards her. As soon as he was in reach he accepted the weapons and followed her outsize into the garden.

"Okay let's have a mock battle to see what you know before I start training you" As he got into a fighting stance Nat knew he was going to lose he had seen the girl fight on the internet and she was far better than him. Her speed and strength far supposed his own plus she had been training exclusively for close combat ever since she was little where he had only had training with a sabre as a side arm to his magic. Of course if this had been a fight between the two of them at their best he would have won but he was fighting on her terms.

"I take it this is so I'm fine when you go back to school in a few weeks" With his round Greek style shield raised alongside his short Greek sword he began to think of the Romans and how their soldiers fought. He couldn't do any of the fancy flips, twirls and other things this girl in front of him could but if he hid behind his shield than he might stand a small chance of not embarrassing himself.

The battle began with the two combatants circling each other both with their shields raised, Nat had kept his weapon close to his side ready to thrust at a moment's notice where as Pyrrha had hers ready out to the side likely so she could slash. Soon though it became obvious to Pyrrha that her opponent had no intention of making the first move as such it was left to her something she took advantage off.

The first warning the wizard had was when he watched Pyrrha's sword turn into a rifle and take aim at him, now thankfully due to his duelling his experience he was use to facing ranged foes at range and could therefore track the girl's eyes to where she was aiming. Ducking his head behind his shield he had only moments to move before he felt bullets slam into his shield, after a few strikes though he looked away from his shield only for him to cover himself as he saw the tip of the girls spear heading towards him. With the first block completed he only had mere seconds to move his shield again as the spear became a sword and slashed straight at him, from there the pace didn't let up as several more slashed were made and he had to moved his shield. Taking no mercy on him though Pyrrha had realised that Nat had no intentions of either attacking or counter attacking instead relying on the shield, acting on this he took her next moved.

Seeing her go in for a sweep of his legs Nat sidestepped but the enhanced girls speed made that dodge non noticeable; as straight afterwards she was back on her feet and slashing at his chest only for the shield to stop it. However this what she had wanted since with a few quick blasts she had knocked the shield out of place enabling a fast strike with her sword to knock it out of his hands leaving him only a sword.

With his main defence gone Nat was forced to backpedal quickly as he twisted and turned is body to dodge the slashes, thrusts and even gun shots refusing to use the blade. It wasn't because he didn't know how to use a blade but rather that brining the sword to bare either for defence was more likely going to end him than save him since him taking the impact of a strike would enable Pyrrha to him. Pyrrha had noticed this to as he relied heavily on footwork dodging and weaving her attacks by a very narrow margin, it was obvious to her that while Nat had seen combat before he hadn't been trained in close combat fighting to a standard needed which was why he was dodging and weaving.

It was a noble effort in her mind yet his inexperience shined through in both normal sword fighting and especially with fighting aura. However she would admit that her opponent was smart enough to realise and was actively doing his best to keep himself in a position that she could use to her advantage this was shown since he was trying to move round ain a circle rather than to the edge of the garden where he would find himself with his back against the wall.

In all honesty he didn't know how he had managed to last this long, his movements were faster than before but that was likely his aura kicking in out of self preservation but even then it was barely keeping him alive and Pyrrha was seriously holding back. All of a sudden he stepped back as Pyrrha went low again before jumping up straight after a slash aimed at his head and unlike before this time he would have to block. As such brining his blade down he was able to deflect the blow but this had led him into the situation he wanted to avoid as now he was having to dodge as Pyrrha swung her shield at his head and then her sword at his chest again. Blocking the sword he was only then barely able to escape as it turned back into its spear but this had left him open as straight afterwards he felt before he heard the gunshots and the sheer force slamming into him.

The next thing he felt was himself flying before crashing into the ground with an oomph, normally such a thing would have killed him but his aura had taken the blow leaving him physically undamaged although, it had still hurt. However he didn't have a single moment to rest as the red and gold blade of Pyrrha's weapon came thrusting down from above as she leaped high into the air, rolling to his side he was then able to deflect another strike but that was it. With some extra force his sword gave way in his hand flying off into the air and Pyrrha's blade was at his throat while she pushed her knee into his stomach.

"You win" Surrendering the fight he allowed the red head to help pull him up to his feet allowing him to look upwards into her eyes. "So how did I do" Smiling at the younger teenager Pyrrha allowed the use of her semblance and brought back the sword until it hovered above him which was then followed by his shield.

"Not bad you lasted far longer than a person who has just had their auror unlocked and never used it, also your ability to judge the situation is spot on. However as for your sword work it's obvious that you've never fought with either of the weapons yet you managed to use some good tactics" His fighting wasn't bad for a person who hadn't used the weapons before and while his use of the sword was limited she could tell that he wasn't use to such a short blade and he definitely wasn't use to be shot in the middle of combat. "What type of sword were you trained with?"

"Sabre" Pyrrha nodded the sabre was a longer weapon than the types of swords that they were using and typically used on their own. Still his footwork hadn't been bad in fact while he had lost the fight with him never being able to counter attack it wasn't anywhere near as bad as she had presumed.

"If we weren't using aura to enhance our movements than I would have had a harder challenge but your still not use to it" Smiling at the wizard she readied her weapons as she prepared for another round, realising what the girl wanted Nat raised his weapons in tandem.

"You look terrible" Looking at the old woman Nat could perfectly understood the woman as his toga was all dirty and he was walking with a slight limp courtesy of a fire dust bullet exploding on his leg. As for Pyrrha though she was completely fine but smiling as she headed upstairs to take a shower and change into some more suitable clothes than her amour. In response Nat sat himself on a wooden chair so he didn't ruin one of the nicer seats accepting the kind offer of a glass of water from the old woman.

"I saw your fights while you did get your ass handed to you, your weren't terrible; still if you want to be able to get into a combat school you're either going to have to seriously get better in the next two weeks or start at a few levels lower" There was no debating that while at home he had been considered a talented swordsman and won duels in his training but those hadn't been professional and therefore he didn't know how he would fair. Added to this was the amount of dedication and difference in training, here in Remnant people who became warriors trained with aura from a young age and as such was used to moving with such high speed and fighting with so much power behind his blows. In contrast he was only good when Pyrrha didn't use any aura and even then due to the unfamiliar weaponry he had still lost. That didn't mean that he had no chance to survive in this world, once he recovered and got his magic to full strength he would be a force to be reckoned with. For all of Pyrrha ability to jump, flip, slash, thrust and all other types of fancy manoeuvres could beat with just a few spells to knock her off balance and when she blocked any of his attacks it would be blocking bullets or arrows since as soon as his spells would strike she would lose her weaponry.

"As I said before I don't have anything to pay you with for combat school. Besides in two weeks Pyrrha will be off to Beacon and will never see each other again". Frowning Pyrrha's grandmother looked at the younger teenager unlike Pyrrha who while nice was naive and slightly too trustworthy as well as disliking her loneliness Nat seemed to prefer being the only one.

"I doubt that, Pyrrha has already said that she will pay for the school since your her first friend" Sighing internally Nat couldn't help but wonder how the girl would look after herself, he wouldn't call her his friend only his acquaintance but since she was taking care of him it would be better to say goodbye with no debts between them.

"While that is kind of her she has no obligations to me" If he were in a different situation he might have stated the truth that he and the read haired girl were not friends but rather people who just knew each other. However in this different world he had no allies and contacts therefore making an enemy out of the people who were looking after him would be a mistake.

"No she doesn't, but she wants to. You can't tell me that you haven't noticed how excited she's been ever since you arrived" Nat didn't even bother to debunk the woman as she was correct and alongside her had noticed the girl act incredibly happy just at the idea of having a friend around. "It's a shame that as soon as she finds a friend that she has to leave for school in a few weeks and not see you for quite some time after that". On the topic of schools Nat began thinking about this school she was attending to, Beacon was its name with the school itself being located on another continent.

Pyrrha would be attending the school in a few weeks leaving him alone in Mistral as he tried to sort out his life, He wouldn't miss her when she went as they weren't friends but with her gone that left his only safe place in this world. It was why he was desperate to learn about this world since when she was gone he would have to look out for himself in this world full of Grimm, Bandits, Terrorists and other things. And in these upcoming weeks he had to create a plan of what his first real step would be, Pyrrha and the others were attempting to get him into a combat school in Mistral or any other form of education. He could understand the reasoning behind this, all of his grades were worth nothing which would mean that if he ever did need to get a job he would be forced to go through more years of education to gain more grades that would set himself up. Yet he had spent his entire life learning and researching with attending Japan being his first real decision now that he had achieved everything expected of him giving him freedom.

But that no longer mattered and he had to think reasonably, as much as he wanted to stay away from education and explore this world he knew that the likelihood of ever going home was nonexistent allowing him to choose what lay ahead. As such this would mean being able to support himself something that typically came with a job and a person couldn't get a job without an education. Catching up wouldn't be too hard if he went at it hard enough perhaps he could even gradate with the other people of his year, still he would need to choose a profession to go into. The Technology department was always open to him plus he could get patents on Earth Technology meaning that he could get rich with little effort however he couldn't see himself settling down anytime soon. He also had to think of his strengths which in this case were fighting, that left two options either duelling for an audience or becoming a Huntsman wondering the world and slaying Grimm.

In all honesty nothing appealed to him but he had to choose something else he would be left in this world with nothing and he was young allowing him to catch up rather than always lag behind. With an internal sigh he recognised that he would have to go through more years of school just so he could catch up but it would allow him to get better with close combat fighting since he couldn't just use magic out in public. He may not have had the government hounding after him but people could get jealous for what he could do and maybe try to recruit or capture him for their own personal gain. Therefore his entire future hinged on his choices now and the logical choice was to accept the girls offer and attend school in which afterwards he would have to start a new life for himself.

"Yes, well she'll likely make friends at Beacon" Looking upwards Pyrrha's grandmother could help but have doubts about her granddaughter, she doubted in all honesty that Pyrrha would be able to make true friends with the only ones she might make being due to her skill or intelligence.

"Perhaps but she isn't ready to attend, she might be physically and intelligently capable but she doesn't have the proper maturity to behave around people. You've seen how she acts towards you and in all honesty I find it that somebody will try to use the girl for their own purposes not to mention what people may want to do with her" Frowning at the thought of young hormone filled teenager the older woman truly did worry about her granddaughter and what she might get up to. Nat while not saying anything would agree with the statement, Pyrrha in his view was too naive always trying to make friends so much so that she forgot to read some situations and while not to a heavy extreme she always wanted to try and impress someone. In his opinion this was due to a lack of friends preventing her from having a normal social life with everybody looking at her as if she was some fabulous sculpture on a pedestal. "That's not mentioning the fact that she will likely have a good amount of fan boys who will want more than just to know her. Something that doesn't help with her modelling in outfits, I barely managed to stop her doing swimsuits, if those perverted little shits want someone to wank over then they can have someone else" If he had been someone else he might have been intimidated by the woman's fiery glare as she thought about people who would likely want to do specific things to her granddaughter just because she was beautiful and the likely glory that would come with such a thing.

Nat also had no problem with her choice of word perfectly understanding the sentiment, if his sister was the one constantly having people perv on her than he would have put them in a coma that they would never awake from. A such the idea for this woman of having one of her family members far from home and all alone likely scared her especially since as she would have no support. Still he could see that for Pyrrha this would be a whole new experience of seeing the world all on her own with a possible chance of making new friends showing her maturity for the first real time as she would be on her own in a different continent. While he thought this he noticed that the woman was looking at him with a bit of a dejected look most likely due to her worrying about her granddaughter.

"I don't know why but I wish you could go with her to Beacon". Now that didn't entirely surprise him from reading the situation he knew that in both of the two females minds that he was Pyrrha's only friend meaning that in time that the two of them would grow close looking out for each other. "I know it sounds strange due to the time you've known each other but the way she is with you happy to have a friend and one who doesn't care about her achievements, she's going to miss that plus while you're not the best warrior with your aura being unlocked, you are better than average for a person who hasn't fought with aura meaning your skilled or could be in the future. Plus I think Pyrrha likes teaching might be a secret fetish of hers". Rolling his eyes internally Nat ignored the comment from the grandmother, perhaps it was due to never having known his but weren't grandmas not typically interested in that type of stuff. "Oh don't tell me you've never thought about it, Pyrrha is a beautiful girl one that many men would kill for" With a teasing tone the older woman looked at the wizard expecting some type of blush or reaction that would show embarrassment.

"No I have far more important concerns that sex" Frowning at the calm reply the grandmother began trying to think of a way to catch the constantly calm teenager off guard so she would have black mail. "Don't bother I don't care for romance" Frowning again she did let up allowing the conversation to go in silence although she couldn't help but be curious that at someone who looked to be at the start of his teenage years he was surprisingly calm and mature about the subject.

"You're no fun" Taking another sip of the water he had been provided he kept his eyes on the stairs leading upwards waiting for the sound of the shower to stop that would later be followed by footsteps informing him he could head up.

"And you did a complete one eighty when it came to your granddaughter and sex" Smirking in return the woman sat down and leant back on the chair.

"Only when there are boys I approve off". Saying nothing Nat just wondered why the woman would think such a thing, he could tell she was being truthful about her approving of him however such a thing shouldn't have occurred as they had known each other only a short time. Then again from what he had been able to gather the woman had never worked in an industry where being suspicious of everybody was the norm not something he could afford not when you were the heirs to a noble house even if it was small and had nothing of credit. Added to this was the matter of age, Pyrrha was three years older than him and while once people hit adulthood it didn't matter at a young age it was generally more frowned upon with one year being the absolute maximum.

"Anyway on another note your scroll arrives tomorrow, don't be surprised if Pyrrha asks for your number; She'll likely want to keep in contact when she goes to beacon you know being her friend and all". Nodding in acceptance he carried onto drink the water, he wouldn't be stupid and ignore the girl's calls or delete her phone number as soon as she left for school. While he may never have had friends back home he did have his sister and her boyfriend, in this world he had nobody so keeping in contact with a person could prove handy and even more so if it was someone like Pyrrha. When he took this combat school he could ask her help with questions if needed as well as what he could do to advance and with her possibly passing down information from her school it could allow him to prepare easier years down the line for a huntsmen academy.

"How much I am going to owe her" Smiling gently at what was happening to him the woman truly started to feel happy for her granddaughter, it may have taken an unconscious heavily bleeding and suffering from amnesia person to do it but she had a friend. It was just a shame that said friend couldn't stay with her for very long and when he got into Mistral itself he would likely be placed in an orphanage unless somebody decided to take him in. Although knowing Pyrrha she would ask her parents to allow such a thing that very thought made her chuckle. Just the idea that Pyrrha who had never had a friend in her life will return back home with a younger boy saying she will pay for him to attend combat school as well as asking her family to take him in. She could only wonder that if Pyrrha did persuade him the amount that the teenager would have to prove himself so that he wasn't taking advantage of their red haired warrior beauty.

"Had she been someone else quite a bit but by just being her friend you can pay that debt off easily" That sounded good to Nat not the idea of having Pyrrha as a friend but that if he could fake a friendship for long enough than he wouldn't have to pay them back for their charity. Besides the purely economical reasons there were quite a few benefits of being friends with a popular person so long as they kept it low key and out of what people were discussing. Otherwise he could only imagine the annoyance of reporters trying to swarm them for questions and answers something he didn't think Pyrrha would be able to cope with.

"I guess I can cope with that" With his sarcastic tone the old woman smiled allowing Nat to get up as Pyrrha yelled from upstairs that he could use the shower now that she had finished with it. "Anyway I have a shower to take" And with that he left the woman and headed back upstairs so that he could take a shower, getting rid of the dirt and sweat that he had built up over the last few hours of constantly fighting a teenager super warrior.

The next day

Things were calm as he sat on the chair reading through some of the history of Remnant, to his side Pyrrha was watching him read to answer any questions he might have while the grandmother was watching the television. Currently he was reading about the Great War, like many other people war history interested him and with the name of said war he was curious about the tactics and the sides that had been involved in such a conflict. Originally he had believed that the Great War might have played like the First World War back home however it hadn't, for all the stories that went with the Great War, the worst conflict Remnant had ever seen it was nothing compared to the First World War.

Back home millions had died in that Europe destroying countries and empires as well as creating the events that would not only lead to the Second World War which was even larger and more deadly but also to the modern day. Suffice to say compared to the history of his own planets and the sheer scales of war he couldn't see this as some kind of great war in fact he wouldn't even say this was like the Napoleonic wars, the only conclusion he could form was an American like Revolutionary war. And it left him wondering how people would react if they discovered the sheer horror of those types of wars in fact now that he thought about it if he was stuck on a different planet than he could write stories from Earth.

Like people did back on Earth with fantasy worlds and other things this world would be considered fantasy back on Earth and Earth would be considered fantasy by Remnant. As such he could write the history of Earth and its different nations and publish them as some type of massive book series that people may enjoy. He also wouldn't have a problem for information since he had access to thousands of books in his library and all he would have to do is use them for reference when creating Earth in literature. Not to mention nobody would be able to disprove him as he would be the only person with this type of knowledge perhaps making him capable of becoming rich with said books. Yes by writing Earths history as a set of fantasy books he could probably live on this planet with comfort although there might be some people who likely wouldn't like the books as it wouldn't include Faunus. All he would have to do for such books would be to wait until he could access his laptop when his magic recovered, until then though he would have to carry on training his body physically and his mind so that he could get into this combat school.

Ring

With the sound of the doorbell going of Nat barely flicked his eyes over the scroll as Pyrrha was the one to answer it smiling as always something he had no idea that the girl could do. Either way it didn't matter as he was more concerned about his education but he still made sure to keep his ear out for things as one never knew when danger could lurk around any corner.

"Delivery, for one miss Silver" Opening the door Pyrrha looked at the man in the doorway he seemed to be nice enough wearing the typical sky package companies uniform and he was also a Faunus. The last thing didn't bother her at all in fact she had seen some cat Faunus who were incredibly cute with their fluffy little ears on the top of their heads. In contrast to a cast though this guy had antlers on top of his head, she almost felt sorry for him though as the man was constantly having to duck, so he didn't bang his antlers on doorways. However before she could reply to the man's question she saw his eyes light up in excitement as he recognised who she was. "Wow Pyrrha Nikos living here what a surprise its really nice to meet you" With a pained smile the red haired girl realised as the man began tattling off all her achievements how much he looked up to her and how awesome she was as well as how lucky he was to meet her and then came that question the one she hated. "Can I have your number it would be really cool if I could talk to you with all my friends and I mean who wouldn't want to talk to you you're the Pyrrha Nikos" Looking down at the package that she had been given she couldn't find it in herself to slam the door in front of the man's face as it would be rude as such she attempted to let him off softly.

"I'm sorry but I don't know you and giving out my number would be awkward" The Faunus however didn't seem to care as he carried on with his talking telling her that she had to get her picture to show her friends something that was making her feel incredibly uncomfortable and then it happened.

"Hey will you be my girlfriend, my friends won't believe me if you do and you're absolutely beautiful, I know that I and every other guy would love to have sex with you any day of the week" By now Pyrrha was feeling incredibly uncomfortable something that showed as she tried to head back into the house.

"I don't think that's appropriate and you need to leave". The Faunus smirked as he looked over the famous warrior girl and the inside of his home; idly he took in the scenery before he stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed a younger teenager looking at him calmly.

"I suggest you leave, Pyrrha isn't interested in you" Frowning the delivery boy looked at the younger dull purple haired ten wondering if he was the beautiful red heads boyfriend however it only confused him. After all why would somebody as beautiful, famous and skilled as Pyrrha Nikos date an average younger teenager however his mind turned to even more confusion as he saw the girl smile at him in a way that indicated as if he was her friend.

"Hey what makes you think you can come here and hog the beauty of Mistral all to yourself share her for the rest of her fans" By now Pyrrha was starting to glare at the delivery boy, she wasn't some object to be possessed by people and she wasn't the beauty of anything she was just Pyrrha and she definitely did not want to be share by her fans in that type of sense. Before she could reply though she watched as Nat walked past her and straight to the delivery boy his training sword in hand and while not using it in a threatening way it indicated that he was armed and that the delivery boy was not.

"Firstly, we're just friends and secondly, Pyrrha belongs to no one so why don't you go back to your sad lonely life of fapping to people on the internet who are well above you and that you will never meet. Also if you or anyone else tries to claim ownership of Pyrrha I hope you bring an army because you'll fucking need one when it comes to that girl or have you not watched her in the tournaments" Seeing the shocked expression on the delivery boys face Nat took that opportunity to literally slam the door in the boys face before giving one last reply. "Now fuck off or I call the police for sexual harassment" With the door shut in front of him and it being occupied by a rude little teenager and the affection of many others the delivery body wanted to refuse what had been said to him but the threat of getting the police involved rattled him enough for him to walk away.

Inside the house Pyrrha looked at the teen that had just gotten rid of one of the people who had followed her, by this point in her life she was use to some people abusing her. This had included people sending her emails demanding that she pose in skimpy outfits for a model outfit something that she was glad her grandmother had stopped as she had been younger and just entering her teenage years. Then there were the fans who constantly begged for them to date her or even marry her as well as other pining just to have sex with her and there were also the group who just wanted to use her fame because she was famous. But that wasn't the only thing in fact the most important thing was that the teenager had called her his friend, Yes she had people call themselves her friend before yet it was always meaningless as they only cared about her fame or her body.

"Now that's sorted should we get back to what we were doing before, oh and thank you for the scroll" Gently prying the box from the girl Nat headed back inside the living sitting on the chair and opening the box which held his new device, behind him was Pyrrha who was smiling.

"Nat" Looking up to the girl just as he had opened up the box allowing him to take out the phone like device and answer the girl.

"Don't bother saying thank you, I already owe you enough favours getting rid of that prick was just one of the things we could do" With that sated Nat went back to his new scroll turning it on for the first time and started imputing the details that were needed such as his name and basic info that came with these thing. In response Pyrrha frowned slightly at the response not because of it being slightly rude but because he just didn't want an apology.

"Either way thank you, I prefer not to answer those types of people. But thank you I don't think he would have left me alone unless I would have said something less polite" Nat could easily see that the girl while strong and likely to defend her friends was still kinder than anyone else he had ever known and as such was less likely to respond to a person like that person with anything mean instead trying to be gentle with them hoping they would understand.

"As I said don't mention it" Not entirely happy she walked p to the wizard hoping to give a friendly gesture she had seen done by other people in school, this action was to give a friendly punch to the shoulder however before it impacted she soon found her fist caught by the wizard who didn't look impressed. "What are you doing?" Blushing slightly as she uncurled her fist she realised that punching people was generally not something done as a friendly gesture or at least her guest didn't think so.

"I was going to give you a friendly gesture since we're friends now" Sighing internally Nat recognised that his actions had likely endeared himself to Pyrrha who now seemed to be even more happy than normal and all because he had just told some jerk to stuff it. He was half tempted to tell her that he only considered her an acquaintance but with the amount of time he would likely know her drooping shortly with school coming soon he decided not to.

"Sure we're friends, now once I have this scroll organised how about we go train some more" Smiling at Him Pyrrha went of upstairs to put her armour on unlike Nat who still only had a toga until he could eventually get his clothes that were in the jacket. Soon enough he was finished though and placed his scroll in his pocket before picking up the weapons enabling him to fight against Pyrrha something that would likely end with him on the floor again covered in bruises. He couldn't wait until he got his magic back but even than he would still have to practise close combat so that he could get on with this combat school in the future rather than having to enter years earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 3**

Kingdom of Mistral

Their time at Gale Rock village had finally come to a close, while school wouldn't start for another two weeks for Pyrrha she still had to take the trip from Mistral to Vale something that would take longer in this world as they didn't have passenger airlines back home. Of course the flight to Mistral had been a slightly enlightening experience for Nat, it was as he sat on the old looking wooden airship that he saw his first ever grim in person.

The creature had been small due to the elevation that they were at but it's pitch black colour was a stark contrast to the rest of the landscape, besides that though he could feel the foulness of their kind from even where he was. As a wizard besides his enhanced physical capabilities as well as the ability to cast magic he was more in tune to the supernatural and other things; Now that he had finally recovered his magic and was back to full strength he could sense so many things that he had never sensed before as well as that even Pyrrha or other peoples with awakened auras couldn't even sense.

It was an interesting as well as strange experience sensing the power that came from these aura's, wizards had long since known about the existence of the soul after all they had found multiple ways to harness it but never did they think it could do what the people of this planet had discovered. Instead of using the soul as a physical weapon and using it to protect oneself from attack, wizards had always used souls for less direct purposes. These purposes had been things such as the Fidelus charm an incredibly useful spell that hid the knowledge about something in the very soul of a person making it impossible to be known unless that secret was either shown directly or told. There were also methods of using it for objects which was generally used to stop other people from using a certain device but there was also the far darker side of soul magic. As much as Chief Auror Potter alongside the rest of the old golden trio wanted to hide it he had figured out what magic Voldemort had used to try and keep himself immortal, It wasn't hard to figure out lots of families had old books of magic and Headmistress McGonagall hadn't removed the books that mentioned such topics from the Hogwarts Library. If one then added this knowledge to the stories of the trio than it was easy to find out what they had spent so long away from Hogwarts looking for.

Of course he had no interest in such magic; despite his willingness to explore the dark side of magic he wasn't a maniac who had ambitions of using the blackest of magic such as Necromancy or black soul magic like Horcruxes. As a result of this the Grimm disturbed him, not in a he was scared of them way no they could be killed and he had even seen a huntsman killing some of them as the airbus shuttled over the Mistral landscape. No they disturbed him because of how they felt so dark and destructive but what was worse of all was that they felt natural like they belonged in the world. He had both heard and seen in dementors of course thank Merlin never close up the stories of survivors or those who had experienced them were an experience he had never felt; yet when he looked at those black creatures with those glowing red eyes he couldn't help but feel a small amount of rage build up inside of them.

These Grimm were an abomination and if he had the power he would deal with whoever created them but it wasn't how these creatures felt the utter darkness brushing against his magic senses that angered him the most. No as he mentioned before the very fact that these monstrosities felt natural was made silent rage build up, he wasn't never one to get angry besides over select things so for a creature he had just seen to do this to him was troubling.

"Nat are you enjoying the scenery" Thankfully Pyrrha nor anyone else had noticed the attention he gave those foul creatures but if they had then all they would have seen was his typical calm expression although internally Nat couldn't help but want to go down to the floor and just butcher the creatures like the animals that they were. Realising this thought Nat didn't show any reaction besides ignoring the Grimm, if these creatures were truly capable of making him so angry so quickly than it wasn't good to stray on them.

"It's pretty" Walking up behind him was the person who had been caring for him over the last two weeks Pyrrha Nikos; Right now she was smiling at him gently her weapons on her back in contrast he had nothing but his wand on him but if it came to a fight with somebody he could be rather deadly.

"Sometimes, I wish I could just stay up here and stare at the mountains every day the sight is so beautiful" The sight was as Pyrrha said it was, constant mountains with trees fruits bushes the odd road as well as animal it was just a shame about the black things he saw that dotted the otherwise nice view.

"You'd grow bored of it eventually" Looking at her first ever friend the emerald eyed huntress in training sat herself down next to the wizard as his legs dangled down the side allowing the wind to blow through his hair slightly. Looking back down at the sights below him Nat wasn't afraid besides the use of his aura that would stop him from dying if he hit the ground as well as a possible landing strategy as Pyrrha had gotten him to practise his athletics there was also the use of magic. If he fell, he could simply apparate, slow himself down or use magic to conjure himself a rope or perhaps just turn the floor into a trampoline either way he was in no danger.

"I don't think so not when it's this beautiful and I have a friend beside me" Thanks to regaining his magic Nat had long since looked into the girls memories and saw how her lack of friends had made her cling on to, the reason why at least for the moment why she was constantly saying he was her friend was to reassure herself that it wasn't a lie. Of course if she knew his feelings she would be heartbroken, Pyrrha was a generally nice person something he had never encountered before with how he was brought up and besides there being in no point in telling the truth there was also no gain from crushing the girls emotions.

"I take it you have a plan for tomorrow then" Looking into the horizon the sun began to set, according to the captain they would arrive shortly at the city but the fact of the matter was that Pyrrha only had a single free day left before she would have to catch another airbus to begin her journey to Vale.

"Tomorrow I want to show you around Mistral, there's going to be a festival at night so we can go to that together, there's also a movie that we can watch together and then we can get lunch as well as visit some of the shops and other places like the music museum" Again not being one to show emotions Nat could only sigh internally as he realised what Pyrrha wanted to do with him on their only full day they had in the city before she left for another continent. However that wasn't his only concern, while he wasn't one for romance and had never been on a date, his sister had talked about hers plus he had been watching a small amount of anime after he finished Hogwarts and there was the infamous date episode.

"Pyrrha while that sounds good don't you think people are going to think we might be on a date if we're alone together visiting places" Cheeks turning red at the implication Pyrrha looked over to the wizard who had mentioned it so casually like he wasn't bothered by it something that she wished she had.

"Well maybe but it's going to be us friends wandering around town together so there shouldn't be any problem" Raising her tone as she typically did when she felt certain emotions she desperately hoped that her friend wouldn't abandon her as it could get people looking at her.

"I never said I wouldn't it's just that with your fame, you should be prepared for the day after tomorrow because people will assume we are dating and as I'm three years younger than you it's going to cause even more of a discussion" For some reason the redhead couldn't care about the rumours that would occur no all she cared about tomorrow was getting the ability to spend some time alone with a true genuine friend something that she had never had.

"It doesn't matter, all we're going to do is spend a day out together" Sighing internally Nat made sure that when they did go out he used magic to try and keep the two of them discreet, with Pyrrha desperately wanting to go have a day with a friend it was likely she would act slightly hyper. This bothered him mainly due to two reasons; the first was that despite being famous back home he preferred to be discreet when he was out in public and not draw any attention to himself and the second reason was that with Pyrrha his mere presence would likely cause a media sensation. All ready he could see it now people begging for interviews, conspiracies being made about them and when combat school started his fellow students trying to approach him just so they could get information about Pyrrha.

"So long as we're careful Pyrrha that postman from the other day is an indicator of how bad things could get" Her emerald eyes briefly looking at the wizard Pyrrha smiled again, it was nice to have a friend, Nat had never put her on a pedestal and like now he was showing concern for her wellbeing. Still as they got closer to Mistral the familiar landmarks informing her just how close they were she couldn't help but admit that it was almost cruel that after waiting so long for a friend she would be separate from him because of what she considered her destiny.

"Well if we get into any trouble I can save you" Chuckling slightly at her own words Nat didn't react, causing her to frown ever so slightly. While she had never had a proper friend before she knew that people were suppose to show emotions at things instead though Nat seemed to be a rock always calm and never expressing anger, sadness, worry or anything else. Perhaps though that was something from his culture in Vytal, history had shown in Remnant that entire kingdoms would prevent emotions from being practised to keep people safe so it could be a defence against Grimm.

"My hero" Ignoring Pyrrha's slight chuckle at his sarcastic remark the purple eyes magic user could only start to think of tactics if a problem did emerge, This world didn't have magic like Earth did or perhaps it did but it was nowhere near as strong either way the consequences of being caught doing magic would be different here than back home. He didn't face a massive prison sentence in Akihabara if her performed magic in front of muggle's without either dire reason or express permission from the magical government but the things he could do would likely grab someone's attention if he did too much magic. Elemental magic attacks he could get away as people would assume he was using dust and he could also get away with a couple of spells however they would have to be select as the use of many spells would certainly garner attention as a person with that many semblance abilities would become a person of interest to aura researchers. Plus there was the case of the internet, it wasn't as large or as used back home due to the massive differences in populations but a bored set of people who watch a small clip of him using magic could be a massive headache.

If an event turned into a fight tomorrow then it would likely be best to allow Pyrrha to handle the situation, as a trained warrior who had won the Mistral tournament four years in a row it was doubtful people would fight with her. Added to that since he didn't have a proper weapon something that seemed to be quite common with people likely due to the Grimm he would not be able to fight without magic. That left the last point of not drawing any more suspicion to himself than he was going to, with the use of magic he could limit the amount of people spending attention to him and Pyrrha but they would still get noticed. There was no doubt in his mind that they would gain attention tomorrow likely due to Pyrrha after all she was considered an incredibly attractive young woman she was also highly intelligent as she had graduated at the top of her class and would, richer than average for people her age, famous as well as being talented and strong. Anyway a person looked at it Pyrrha would be considered quite the catch, so did the much desired girl is seen on her own with a boy and going to certain places and doing certain activities that would normally be reserved for dates than attention would be focused on them.

"We're almost there just over these mountains" Following her gaze Nat watched as the airship flew height to avoid the mountains before descending again enabling him to take in his first real sight of Mistral. He had seen images of the city with homes and shops being carved into the literal mountains in which the city was located on as well as the white stone buildings which littered its base. The design of the city was definitely East Asian at least compared to Earth something that made sense if one looked at Mistral on the map but as for giving an accurate nation for the architecture he would guess Japan.

"Its smaller than I expected" The city if it could be called that did appear small at least compared to the cities he was use to, this wasn't just because of the physical area of the city with there being noticeable gaps between different part of the city which was just either mountain or nothing but also due to a lack of housing. If the city had been this size during the medieval period or before than he could have likely believed it was a city but compared to the modern day he would say that at the absolute most the city of Mistral appeared to be a medium sized town but for a specific he would say that it was between small and medium sized.

Of course not all cities were the sprawling concrete jungles like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo or so many other cities but typically a capital was the largest the city of a nation. As such looking at this small supposed city when in theory the kingdom of mistral had once ruled over the entire continent of Anima and it didn't look two impressive for size. Of course people from back home would love the appearance of the city and how it seemed to be drawn out of a fantasy novel but even if the city had been created hundreds of years ago to protect people from the Grimm than its defences were rather lacklustre. There were no large thick walls that surrounded the city or even placed between mountains that surrounded the city leaving the city very open to attack by people. It was obvious because of this that any defence the city had relied on warriors being present yet even then the sheer lack of evidence for any type of wall especially when the entire city looked so old was poor design.

The school for this city called Haven looked to be the giant tower that was balancing between two mountains like a bridge something that he did think was possible without the use of magic. As he continued to look at the capital and note all its faults especially the defensive ones he couldn't wonder just how competent the original founders had been, no walls, no farms nearby, no appearance of mines and only a small looking train station. The threat from the Grimm was understandable but the city still looked like it hadn't been thought through and there was no way that this could have been capable of ruling a country the size of anima if it had been Earth. Still the scenery was nice the large green mountains that surrounded the city likely made a person feel safe and there definitely wasn't the feeling of air filled with smog due to vehicles. The city of Mistral looked like a nice place to visit on holiday but a terrible place you live especially for a supposed capital city.

"Can you see there that's my parents house" Following Pyrrha's finger as she smiled again at being home he noticed that the red headed warrior lived like the rest of the people in one of the old looking houses although her seemed to be built into the actual cliff rather than on it. There were no more words said as the airship began to decline in altitude and head towards the likely point where he and Pyrrha would be dropped off.

City of Mistral

Stepping out of the wooden machine Nat and Pyrrha soon found their feet on the ground of the capital of Mistral which also happened to be called Mistral. In all honesty the irony due to the lack of creativity with the capital of the nation that was known to be the most creative and artistic was not lost on him and neither were the strong East Asian themes that littered the city. Besides the architecture of the city one of the largest telling points of this type of culture was the clothing with the most obvious being Chinese styled dressed and sticks in women's hair.

The trip to Mistral was shown as the light from the sun had gone and was instead replaced with the light of the shattered moon and stars that danced elegantly above them. As a result of this the streets were most empty with the best signs of life being the orange and white glows from dust lights inside the buildings. As he proceeded to walk beside Pyrrha his eyes constantly darted in every direction, the information he had learned from the internet was that while Mistral was incredibly artistic it was also known as a hub for criminal activity.

He wasn't personally concerned with being robbed all of his belongings had been charmed and warded against it plus if needed it he could use magic to retrieve anything that was taken from him" Pyrrha however seemed quite content in the city as her weapons were strapped to her back and she pulled her suitcase along the ground. As they started to walk though the twisting and winding paths that would sometimes be outside of the mountain sometimes a part and sometimes literally inside the mountain he noticed that there was an extreme lack of security camera in fact he hadn't noticed any. Back at home security cameras were everywhere and it had made it incredibly difficult for magical's to do anything without gaining some cameras attention and that was before one added drones into the question or people just having their phones out constantly. He didn't know how many close calls there would have been over the years but it was bound to be many and was likely prevented by the recent muggle relations office which was one of the few non stupid decisions Mrs Weasley had created after she was made minister of magic.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand he noticed that Pyrrha wasn't talking as much as she had during the trip in the airship but that wasn't due to any problems instead she was likely tired. Recognising this as a potential risk he ensured that his senses were working constantly before he had arrive in this world and had his aura unlocked than an attack from a swift huntsman level attacker could have been a very precarious situation. Now though Pyrrha had been teaching him how to use his aura properly giving him the ability to do all the crazy shit he had seen Pyrrha as well as others do physically.

"Are you tired Pyrrha" Smiling slightly Pyrrha let out a small yawn, the trip for her had been boring and with nothing to do she had wanted to sleep but she would feel bad if she allowed Nat to be the only awake ad had therefore fought through the boredom to stay awake. This battle didn't seem to have gone as well as she liked since her yawn indicated to her friend that she as indeed tired and likely wanted some sleep.

"Oh I'm fine you don't have to worry about me but I think after dinner I'm going to go to sleep early" Again smiling at her friend as she yawned again and stretched her arms Pyrrha didn't realise what type of position that would put Nat in with her parents. Nat being the only proper male friend she not only had but being brought back to her house would ask questions especially as she had talked to her parents about him something that was likely going to grab their attention.

"That's fine if your parents allow me to stay I'll sleep in the living room" Frowning Pyrrha just patted Nat on his right shoulder in her mind it wouldn't do well for a guest to sleep uncomfortably on the floor or setae (couch).

"That's alright you can sleep with me in my room" Not reacting Nat knew that Pyrrha would likely have to get use to having other people sleep in the same room as hers since he had looked at Beacons website and learned that teams were made up of four. Those four would could be mixed and matched Faunus or human boy or girl it didn't matter as once you were in a team you were stuck in it until you graduated, naturally this was to build up the team dynamic but he couldn't help but wonder how many times had a team member walk into the room when a person was changing casing much unneeded awkwardness.

"That's okay Pyrrha I would rather sleep on my own than share your room due to privacy issues" Recognising the look that the older girl was about to give him Nat gave her a quick look which told her to drop the matter and instead focus on the narrowing roads in front of them.

"That's fine I guess but I know that father will prefer that" Having seen her memories Nat knew what her family was like already and it wasn't her father that he was worried about, instead it was the potential social storm that would occur as Pyrrha's family had a small tendency to let things slip. As for the man himself he had been a warrior himself but had since given up after a serious injury which prevented him from going out into the wild again without putting himself in serious risk.

"Yes well families are protective" That comment had sent Pyrrha smiling again as she thought about her parents their face's their support of her and her plans their love and care of her all something she couldn't imagine that she would be so far away from in a few days. While she knew she would miss her family when she left and she would miss her friend she had a feeling as well as a hope that things would get better when she arrived at beacon.

"What about your family do you remember anything about them?" Looking at her friend curious she wanted to see if he would react however there was nothing of the kind as he carried walking up the steep path.

"They're dead you don't have to worry though I never knew them" Of course it was a lie but since he was on this planet and not Earth there was no point in telling her the truth after all knowing Pyrrha she would likely vow to try and help him find his family. Besides being a nuisance having to look for a fake family she would likely try to become closer to him so she could act in her mind either like a secondary family member or a friend trying to support him.

"Oh I'm so sorry" Looking at her friend with concern Pyrrha couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend, he was suffering from amnesia and he had nobody to return to essentially leaving him an orphan in this world. Hoping to try and cheer him up she went to place her hand onto his head but before she could her hand was caught by the wizard who didn't look at her.

"I'm fine and please don't mess with my hair" Smiling again she lowered her arm something that was allowed by Nat as he unleashed her wrist before stopping as he faced the wooden door that had been built into the side of the building. This was Pyrrha's home where she had lived and since he could detect two people inside it was likely that they were her parents if not than a little amount of "Aggressive Negotiations" were in order. Allowing the girl to take the lead he saw her pull out what he presumed was her house key and then slot it in before twisting it and then finally opening the door allowing him to walk in first.

"Mum dad I'm home" Instantly there was a rush of footsteps in the background before soon enough the source of these footsteps were revealed showing an older man and woman in their early forties who instantly smiled at their daughter.

"Pyrrha you're finally back how was mother" Watching the interaction from afar Nat stayed at the entrance of the house as it would be considered polite and he couldn't afford a misstep as Pyrrha was the one who volunteered to pay for his education.

"She's fine but she said that you should visit more often" Finishing her hug with her mother Pyrrha than turned her attention and hugged her father closely before letting go. While they were hugging however the father of Pyrrha looked at Nat intently hoping to intimidate him only like everybody else only to see a calm expression on his face.

"Oh you must be Nathanael Pyrrha told us all about you" With the mother spotting Pyrrha's younger friend she approached quickly but thankfully did not offer the wizard a hug instead she out reached her hand with a warm smile. "It's so nice to meet Pyrrha's first real friend, don't you think so too dear" Pyrrha's father in Nat's mind didn't seem to pass anything physically to his daughter however it seemed that he passed on her fighting spirit and ability. At the moment though the man kept looking at Nat suspiciously he had heard the story from Pyrrha and accepted that the boy was three years her junior meaning that the likelihood of a romantic relationship at this age was doubtful but it was still his job to protect his daughter from bad people.

"What's your relationship with my daughter?" With a menacing voice the ex-hunter stared down the child, having fought far more dangerous creatures than a fourteen year old boy and being permanently injured he was sure he could still handle the blonde haired brat in a fight. Yet one thing that annoyed him was the fact that the boy wasn't even phased not in the slightest, In Pyrrha's father's mind that could either mean that the boy was stupid and didn't have the instincts to cower when he should do or more likely the boy was skilled and was firm in his belief that he couldn't be hurt by him.

"Pyrrha is my friend, saviour and very graciously my benefactor, I owe her a lot including my life" Thankfully the last wasn't technically true without the large reserves of magic on Earth to enforce things such as life debts he was saved by the skin of his teeth from having to serve her until he saved her life, married her or died. If it was the other case and that he did owe her a life debt than his plans and secrecy would have had to been revealed to the girl and as Pyrrha wanted to be a glorified mercenary it could have made his life much harder.

"Nothing else," Looking over to her daughter he remembered how happy she had been when she had informed them of her new friend, they had been delighted at first although he had been a little put off by the fact that this friend was a boy. All alone two teenagers could have engaged in quite a few things and while his daughter was of age with the age of consent in Mistral being thirteen he still didn't like the idea.

"Nothing else we are just friends Mr Nikos" The stare down carried on as he remembered Pyrrha talking about what she wanted to do with this boy tomorrow just the two of them. It was suspicious and could cause a massive upset which could ruin Pyrrha's career and any social life, unfortunately he knew that while his daughter was physically strong and intelligent he also knew that she wasn't the best with emotions and could break down from such pressure.

"That's odd considering that the two of you have private plans for tomorrow" Behind him Pyrrha went to speak up but was silenced by her mother, as much as Pyrrha's mother wanted to be friendly with Pyrrha's new friend it wasn't the first time someone had exploited her daughter to their own advantage.

"I have informed her that tomorrows activities will look like a date and that she should consider her future however as I owe her a large debt than there is little I can do besides try to take care of her with the short amount of time I have before she goes off to Beacon the day afterwards" Turning around to face his daughter Mr Nikos looked at his daughter kindly but then spoke with a tone that stated that while he loved her he didn't want any lies to be told.

"Is this true?" Nodding quickly her red hair moving slightly as she moved her head back up and down she looked at Nat with a small amount of worry but also confidence, Nat unlike the others who had tried to manipulate her was nowhere near as cowardly as the others had been. She remembered one time when a potential date had said the wrong thing and he had been slammed on his back by her father before he was then chucked outside suffice to say her father was rather protective of her.

"Yes Father he has always thought of me first and I do consider him an important person as my friend" With her gentle voice soothing his ears Mr Nikos turned and walked up into the hallway gesturing for Pyrrha's friend to follow him than he acted. Swiftly and with no warning he spun around and gave a punch to where Nat had been before only to miss before a sudden pain struck him between his legs. Feeling the impact from the pain the man fell to the floor as another strike hit his chest and he felt the air in his lungs escape forcing him to stop as he tried to get it back it was only after that he heard Pyrrha's concerned voice.

"Father" Before she could rush to her side the green eyed warrior heard her father chuckle as the oxygen began to refill his lungs, soon enough he was standing back on his feet looking at Nat with a small amount of pride and more acceptance. Realising what this meant Pyrrha placed her hand on her hip as she smiled at the two most important guys in her life which was her father and first proper friend. "Did you have to attack him" Smiling at her father as he felt the pain from the first strike and began to cover up that area Pyrrha gave Nat a small nod to him informing him that the first test was done.

"If he couldn't stop me than he would have had no chance of protecting you if a rogue huntsman attacked" With the first test complete Nat shook the man's hand as he recognised that he had started a small amount of acceptance with Pyrrha's family now. It wasn't a strange reaction or at least in this world Nat could easily see why this type of greeting would be more common than back on Earth. With Grimm, bandits, terrorists and other types of people more prominent and in the open than back at home not to mention that Pyrrha would be facing these types of threats regularly in the future Mr Nikos had to ensure that if needed Nat could fight to protect his friend. "That wasn't bad for a person of your age who's just learned about aura. Welcome to the Nikos residence "Now officially welcomed the group of four walked forwards towards the kitchen with Pyrrha heading upstairs first so that she could drop her equipment back into her room before than later joining them at the dinner table.

"So Nathanael was it" Looking over to Mrs Nikos he noticed that it was rather obvious where Pyrrha had inherited her looks from, whether it was the eyes, shade of blood red hair, generous assets, creamy white skin and curves Mrs Nikos looked exactly like her daughter.

"Nat I prefer the shorter term as its quicker to say in case of something" Besides reducing the risk and losing time in a warning or something else out by a person having to call out his full name Nat preferred to shorter term as he just didn't like being called by his full name. Back home it wasn't a common name in the muggle world yet alone the wizarding one so it was easier to stand out when a person was calling his shorter name.

"Very well Nat Pyrrha told us all about you while you were at my mothers and may I first appreciate for being a true friend to my daughter, She told us about that incident with the postman" Having looked into Pyrrha's mind the purpled eyes magic user had long since known that these types of events happened more often than the red head had like to admit but by preferring to be nice to others she hadn't been one to use rude words instead asking them politely to stop. "Apparently you threatened him with a sword said some things to him and also threatened to call the police"

"I saw those eyes he was a creep who likely wanted Pyrrha to do certain things with him, it's better to give them a stern warning than having to resort to violence" That defiantly caught the attention of Mr Nikos as he looked at the wizard with both curiosity and a hint of respect.

"And had it come to violence would you have fought?"

"I don't tend to take well to certain things, my friend being hounded and lusted after is one of them so yes violence would have been used if needed but I wouldn't have killed them". For some reason that both scared and relaxed Mr Nikos as he heard that statement, scared because normally people didn't mention killing people in a serious yet casual way confirming that he would do something quite terrible to the person who would try to take advantage of his daughter and relieved to know that her friends took his daughters safety seriously.

"And just to make sure you don't hold any feelings towards my daughter" Nervous Mr Nikos suddenly started to feel that the power difference had changed, there was nothing in the air or any power such as magic or aura at work but rather Nats calm yet serious tone.

"None at all" Taking his place on the table Nat continued to watch the man as he went through several emotions trying to pick the correct one to use to the answer. Looking into his mind via mind magic, he could see that the man had mixed feelings about his response, like with his threats to the postman Mr Nikos was happy that he didn't have to worry about Pyrrha's first friend crushing on her yet at the same time the calm and blatant dismissal of his brilliant daughter offended him. Just as Nat had been expecting he saw that the man would concentrate on anger as despite the subtle power shifting he wanted to be absolutely sure that the first boy Pyrrha brought home did not have ill intentions.

"Is my daughter not good enough for you" From her position Mrs Nikos wondered just how the teenager would handle this, normally when Pyrrha had brought other friends home they had either screwed up their sentences claimed they were better or said something else stupid. Yet Nat as ever remained calm drinking slowly from the offered drink of lemonade before looking the man in the eyes.

"Would you prefer that I did harbour feelings for your daughter, would you prefer that a person who harboured feelings for your daughter had been brought into your home not only to sleep the night but also to reside in? Would you also prefer that a boy three years younger than your daughter is going to be paid to attend combat school by your daughter and he has feelings for her or since the age of consent in Mistral is thirteen would you like me to have strong feelings towards your daughter which may go further"? Stunned by the blatant response Mr Nikos didn't give any immediate answer instead it seemed like his mind had shut down as he tried to process the answer he was given. He had been given many stupid responses some of unbelievable arrogance and some who had been far too weak to answer and would likely run at the first sign of trouble and the smarter ones who had tried to give an impressive response but still failed. So for a teenager three years younger than Pyrrha who had gained the interest of his daughter to respond so honestly yet brutally was both new, shocking and refreshing.

"If you ever do anything my daughter I will hunt you down and make you wish that you had never been born" Again the wizard was not fazed by the threat both knew that with Mr Nikos's injury that he could never fight a huntsman in training yet alone a full huntsman which was the path Pyrrha wanted to put him down. Still he wanted to see how the boy dealt with threats to many brats had found him intimidating and taking his word for it showing the ability to think about things revealing a lack of intelligence. With his daughter he couldn't allow an idiot to become friends with his daughter it could cost her, her life such as if someone was suppose guard their back and got distracted by something simple. No one had ever passed his test not even the arrogant ones however the man didn't know that besides the training the young wizard had received on reading people due to having eventually to inherit his families seat he could also read minds and so his entire plan was forfeit.

"First you would have to find me than you would have to be in a position where you could fight me". Silence reined as the father of Pyrrha realised he had lost the verbal duel, he was no longer in a viable position where he could protect his daughter and after learning about Beacon and how they did things especially with their shared gender bedrooms her couldn't help but worry.

"Promise me that if you truly are her friend you will protect her even if you are a continent away as soon as she needs your help you will come running" This time there was no threats left and both sides knew it, Pyrrha would leave the day after tomorrow and be on her own and as much as he hated the feeling of knowing that there was nothing left he could do for his daughter Mr Nikos accepted the reality of the fact.

"I swear to you that I will protect your daughter" Looking into the boys dull purple eyes Mr Nikos nodded slowly he couldn't see any hint of deception and the calm tone he spoke to relaxed him. Of course though it was all a lie, acting was one of the first things that young magical raised families were taught or at least the traditional ones anyway. As the heirs to not only families but political positions it was vital to them that they could hide their true actions and thoughts as well as read others and think of possible strategies. As such due to his training it was simply a case of using the right tone, body language and a very subtle bit of wand magic to cast an illusion of care onto his eyes to fool the man and woman.

That did not however mean he wouldn't save Pyrrha from death or capture, she was too important at this moment of time to him. If something happened to Pyrrha than he lost his free education and other benefits that came with being her friend as such it was better to keep on not only friendly terms with her but to also become someone who was important to her so long as it wasn't romantically. From observations he had learned that while two lovers shared many things with each other and secrets only they knew, in times of crisis or in general a good friend was the one they turned to for advice. By becoming that strong stable pillar that Pyrrha held onto he not only helped the girl in her times of need but also advanced his own position in multiple things. Added to this was Pyrrha's tendency to act without thinking and while she was a good thinker and could make a good leader if needed he saw her more as a second in command allowing her to be the person people relied on.

"Than I will concede the protection of Pyrrha to you" With a small amount of tears in his eyes Nat noticed that Mr Nikos was likely struggling with the fact that his time as Pyrrha's guardian had finished, he was now obsolete and while Pyrrha would still love him there was nothing that he could do for her any more. Added to this tomorrow would be the last full day he would have with his daughter for a full year but even then there was the possibility that he may never see her until she graduated Beacon. Vale was a faraway place and without Earths flight technology it would take at least two weeks before she arrived if the wind was good and no incidents occurred. Due to this it was doubtful that Pyrrha would have the time even during her longest breaks to visit her home so unless they for Vale themselves than they wouldn't see Pyrrha until she finally had time free.

"I'm surprised you have so much faith in me despite just meeting me and the obvious other failed attempts by less desirable people" There was no challenge in Mr Nikos's voice as he looked at the wizard what could he say his bluff had been pulled and there was nothing he could do for his daughter after she stepped on the airship in two days time.

"She's chosen you as her friend and while you will still be apart I will make sure that you become strong enough to protect my daughter" The amount of conviction in Mr Nikos's voice made his wife smile as she realised his plan.

Realising what the man wanted to happen the wizard hid his annoyance, Mr Nikos wanted to make Nat the ultimate bodyguard for Pyrrha so she would not only have a friend she could talk and relate to but also have a friend. As such since Nat would be alone with the couple they would likely want to try to mould him into a shape they found desirable as a sort of payment for allowing him to stay under their roof. Besides wiping the family's memories of such an action he decided that subtlety would be best in this matter not to mention that over time they would think the same thoughts in the future. Naturally this would prove problematic for him as he didn't want to deal with protective parents who wanted to transform him into some kind of super soldier for their daughter. The best way to deal with this would perhaps be to leave the entire kingdom, Mistral while known for its arts, music and culture was also known for the amount of criminals it hide. There was no way of knowing who could be watching the daily life of people here or the threat of having people but a counteract out on his life with jealous suitors annoyed at his closeness with Pyrrha.

That left the problem with education as besides pooping over to another kingdom he still needed to get qualifications but more importantly he had to find a person who would be willing to train him. Also as much as he hated it he would likely have to reveal the existence of his magic to them since he want young enough to rely purely on a huntsman for support as they would expect something from him. That wasn't mentioning the trustworthiness of this person, with no allies or contacts besides Pyrrha he was at the mercy of other people and might have to do certain things to survive. In fact as he sat around the table he could already feel the very silent and subtle wards he had placed around the house as he walked in inform him that people were taking an interest in not only him but Pyrrha as well.

If this was the type of attention he was getting now due to his connection with Pyrrha than at a combat school where accidents could happen than something could occur if he wasn't careful enough. Yes while Pyrrha's offer was both useful and practical with the attention that he had already received and the large amounts of criminal's that lurked in the kingdom it would be best to leave until he could adequately protect himself. That just left the case of finding somebody that was trust worthy and wouldn't try to use him for their own reasons something that most people would likely try to do like he was doing to Pyrrha.

"All right I'm back" With the excited tone of Pyrrha coming down the steps as she had finished putting away her equipment as well as putting on some more casual clothes the group concentrated on the girl who Nat had now been given responsibility off. No words had to be given between the old and new protectors of the girl as they both knew what they had to do even if Nat had a sudden change of plans especially as the amount of curious people his wards detected rose sharply.

"Well I think dinners done so why don't we enjoy it With Mrs Nikos returning back to the oven and pulling out some kind of dish and began placing it on plates Pyrrha sat down next to her friend before smiling at him gently but also in a way that indicated that she wanted him to look at her different choice of clothing.

"So what do you think" The clothing was nothing special but again due to the girls lack of friendly relations Nat knew that Pyrrha was trying to get some opinions from her first friend so that she could make the right choice of clothing to take when she headed off to Beacon with her limited stuff.

"Its okay though I take it that you also want me to help you choose clothing" Pyrrha's eyes shot up as she took that as him accepting her unspoken request, inwardly at the same time Nat couldn't believe what was happening. He was a world class duellist the next head of a magical household and he would be spending his time tomorrow helping a girl pack her bags as well as what she should wear; still he would be honest with her despite his rather lack of taste when it came to female shopping.

"Really that would be so helpful, do you think you could also try and give me lessons on how I could try to make friends". Hidden in the confines of the wizard's mind he smashed his head against a table as he began to experience the many trials he had of being a friend to Pyrrha despite her use perhaps becoming outdated. An Apprenticeship with a good hunter was the best route for him as it would keep him on the move and hopefully make it harder for anyone who might notice his magic and keep themselves hidden to track him. If he couldn't get an apprenticeship than he would just have to spend more time in the future hiding his magical activities since he couldn't risk qualifications. Yet at the same time his friendship with Pyrrha would likely mean having to listen to her annoying questions and concerns that had to do with friends and make people like them something he could only use book knowledge for as nobody liked him besides his sister and perhaps Ant.

"Sure we have all day tomorrow and I'm only a phone call away if you need anything else and if you're in trouble I'll jump straight on the fastest airship I can find and rush to your location" Again Pyrrha's eyes seemed to light up at the idea of having a reliable dependable friend where as Nat was having to try and work out the time difference and the potential jet lag he could experience from instantaneously teleporting from one continent to another.

"Thank you but I think we need to eat dinner first" Grateful for the lull in silence the group of four began to eat dinner silently until they finally finished and went on t do different things which in case of Nat was the beginning of the new Earth WW2 Books. As he had noticed before the history of Earth was bound to grab the attention of some people especially with how detailed it was in history and lore not to mention the different way of doing things, perhaps in time if the book actually became popular enough military strategists might pick it up and use it for accuracy. Of course before published any story books he would likely do some books which showed images of many things in WW2 such as the world map design of tanks, ships, planes, weapons essentially to go with the story there would be an in-depth picture encyclopaedia. Either way he hoped that if the worst happened and he couldn't get the training he needed and Pyrrha couldn't support him anymore than perhaps this book series could help him get on his way.

"Pyrrha said you wanted to sleep down here on your own" Looking at Mr Nikos as he still had a small amount of doubt believing that he didn't have any romantic interest in his daughter Nat nodded. Pyrrha may be off to Beacon the day after tomorrow where she could possibly share a bedroom with other hormonal teenagers and something happened however he wasn't one of those people and would rather focus at the task at hand.

"I don't think it would be very appropriate for a person you just met to sleep in the same room as your daughter" Nodding to himself Mr Nikos said nothing else not even mentioning as the stranger was tapping away on his scroll writing some kind of document if anything it was likely a interview request form for the combat school. With the man finally heading upstairs Nat quickly brought out the laptop he had in his jacket pocket using magic to pull it out and then expand it before he started to write up his first words of this story. Looking at the clock he saw it was only ten which left him four hours until he normally went to sleep for four hours and if he woke up before the other residents of the house than he could carry on afterwards. As such with his new goal in mind he began typing away at his new story thankfully he already had the basic plot in mind as well as characters and the general perspective of the story which would be the British point of view since he was British.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 4**

Kingdom of Mistral

City of Mistral

Shining above the mountain city of Mistral the sun illuminated the area allowing for humans to see what was going on in the world since unlike their Faunus cousins they didn't have night vision. Inside the house of the Nikos family four people were sat quiet last the table eating breakfast together almost as if they were a family. In truth however the most recent addition to the household was only their by invitation of Pyrrha Nikos still he had seemingly been accepted by the other three members. Not as a new family member or anything but rather as a friend to the family and unlike the other members of the group his mind wasn't filled with ideas of what could happen to him and Pyrrha as they enjoyed the city today.

Generally their main threat would be journalists but that wasn't the only set of people who could be after them, since Pyrrha was a rather powerful young woman with her skill and talents as well as intelligence she often made many other people a lot of money. Betting was just one part if life here in Mistral and bets on the regional tournament fights was one of both the most costly to enter but also the best to win money. Having won the tournament three years in a row she was considered a stable investment for people as well as a person who had forced some very shady people to lose large sums of money.

Mr Nikos was very much aware of this and was one of the reasons why he wanted Pyrrha shipped off to halfway around the world just so he could protect her. Since the young woman had turned seventeen it meant that she could marry without consent something that not only made a lot of people very interest in her due to the wealth, prestige or even the sexual attraction they had towards the girl but also as revenge. Nat had noticed that Pyrrha put herself before others when it came to thinking about things something which included her family something which could be easily exploited by criminal master minds. By threatening the red heads family they could force her to marry a crime lord giving him access not only to the girls influence but also a formidable fighter making her do whatever the crime lord wanted so long as he threatened the lives of her family.

Pyrrha didn't know this her family loved her dearly and knew that if she was told this information that she would stay behind to protect them forcing her to give up her future life that she wanted. Currently though this was the only real day that the criminal world could get a good chance of kidnapping her which was why Nat was faced in his current position as Mr Nikos placed a covered blanket on top of the table in front of them.

Reading the man's mind he gathered that Mr Nikos wanted him to carry weapons with him as a warning, While Nat wasn't scary he didn't look weak something which could be useful in making him appear as Pyrrha's body guard as they went out to explore the city. Nat said nothing as he uncovered the weapons on the table revealing a katana a typical Japanese sword where he was from and a single pistol with some ammunition.

"With respect Mr Nikos I have never used these weapons before in my life" There was no long and pointless conversation about him asking why he was being presented with knowledge the two had shown each other that they were both mature and intelligent. "Not to mention I have my sabre". The sword was old and dated back to 1827 when it was first released as a rifle officers sword, It wasn't built to anywhere near the same qualities as huntsman weapons here were but after some enchanting it could definitely do the job. It was quick could slice through metal, indestructible, fire, water wind and many other types of element proof as well as constantly being sharp with even more enchantments.

"You don't have a ranged weapon" The katana was ignored by all the people since they instead focused on the old pistol. Nat wasn't some kind of idiot who kept to old beliefs in warfare that guns were a waste of time and only used the sword since it was more noble and elegant. Back home the sword had been made utterly obsolete by the rise in firepower especially in the modern age although the best example he could think of was the First World War. While there had been the odd successful cavalry charge the machine gun had decimated cavalry until they were nothing but a symbol of an older time before industrial wars. Here though guns weren't the optimal weapon, due to aura allowing a person to take multiple shots from a sniper rifle or even bigger explosives and more powerful attacks so long as they had the aura people who were specifically trained to fight had far less danger of death than that of Earth. In the first world war of earth Aura could have been a game changer, soldiers could have shrugged of attacks so long as they were careful instead of just getting mowed down with nothing to protect them. Perhaps it was for this reason why he was reluctant to accept the weapon, having a gun meant that you were a threat making yourself a target. No matter what people said about aura he never wanted to feel a bullet crashing into his chest again it was uncomfortable and frightening beyond belief.

Still as he looked at the weapon he could feel himself tempted back home the only firearms he had ever shot were muskets and rifles of the Napoleonic wars, he had never touched yet alone fired modern type of fire arm even a replica. He also came from a culture that didn't require firearms in their lives in fact unlike their cousins over the pond when there was a shooting gun laws which were some of the tightest in the world were even tighter. He wouldn't go into the American politics with fire arms but in general he completely agreed with gun control; although he still found it rather ironic that in Britain where permits and all sorts of documents and police checks were needed to own a gun wizards could buy their first wand without problems where as in America wands were very tightly under lock and key with an equivalent set of questions.

As he looked over to Pyrrha he admitted that despite never having fired a modern gun yet alone one of this world he needed to be able to fight people at range without using magic and in this case the gun was it. Because of this reasoning he leant forward and grabbed the small pistol and its ammunition, later he would temporarily enchant the weapon while he was using it afterwards though he would return it to his owner.

"Thank you I'll ensure you get it back"

"Keep it I have a few spare and you're going to need help to make it here" Nodding graciously Nat placed his new weapon on his waist next to his sabre he didn't know how effective of a weapon it would be but hopefully it could provide as a bit of a deterrent. Once the man had ensured that the wizard was armed he then smiled at his daughter. "So you have a busy day ahead of you" Returning the smile Pyrrha than began to explain her plans for the day such as where they were going to go and what they wanted to buy alongside what film they wanted to see. Suffice to say Mrs Nikos seemed very enthralled about the plans especially when it came to the films since some exciting new film had come out that the two of them wanted to see. Soon enough though the talking came to an end and after ensuring that Pyrrha was also armed even if she was in civilian clothing the two teenagers let the house ready to explore the city of Mistral again.

As Nat and Pyrrha walked down the streets the rise in people was obvious however the active experience of seeing so many civilians openly carrying weapons on them was strange. Weapons of all sorts could be seen from sword, spears, axes to things like assault rifles and grenade launchers in fact Nat was pretty sure he saw one person with a flame thrower in all reality it was like he was in the U.S again. A more weapon loving openly carrying U.S where mercenaries were clearly seen, due to this Nat ensured that his hand never strayed far away from his weapon after all a few seconds could be all that stands in his way between the realms of life and death.

"So what do you think about the market" They had only just arrived at the market where multiple stalls were located with different people selling products such as fruit, clothing, tea leaves and coffee beans.

"It's nice" Giving out the compliment Nat saw Pyrrha smile more as she heard a compliment about her home. They spent some time at the markets checking out the produce and other items Pyrrha even bought the two of them an apple to munch on since it would be too early to go and have lunch. Besides that apple though nothing else was purchase instead just looked at or Pyrrha would spend some time speaking with the store owners about various things going on with their life. Meanwhile as Pyrrha entertained residents smiling at them as they realised who she was Nat was searching the multiple floors and areas of the city, Unlike London Mistral was built into a mountain giving many people a good place to hide in case of something.

"Do you think they will have markets like this in Vale" So used to being back in the city the read haired girl hadn't remembered if she had read up on the services that the city and kingdom provided. According to other people who had visited different kingdoms Nat had learned that Vale was very much like Europe, good climate, mountains for protection, access to the sea and prime real estate something which made the Kingdom one of the best defended in the world. Then again with only four that wasn't much especially when one was a dessert, another was the equivalent of the arctic and Mistral resided mostly on high cliffs and mountains. The main threat humanity had faced were the creatures of Grimm which had forced humans to seek shelter from them, while this tactic was suitable for older ages like the medieval and classic periods with a modern or somewhat modern society the people needed to expand.

Land had always been power at least back home, the more land a country had the more recourses it could get the more taxes it could charge, the more land they could afford to give up in the case of an invasion. Here on Remnant though only tiny portions of the world were actively controlled and due to all but three kingdoms not possessing any military what so ever they did not have the ability to expand. One of the reasons for this was because kingdoms relied too heavily on huntsman and huntresses for their defence besides the obvious flaws and anger with this kind of mentality it prevented from a powerful enough force from being created.

Britain while not the worlds super power any more with its vast empire allowing it to call upon for troops, world class navy that had enabled it to maintain its empire or even later its top quality air force which prevented an invasion from a far superior land and air force could with time likely take and permanently control parts of Remnant. It would take time to put the country into a position where it could have its economy safely provide for a full scale war but in the mean time they could still take separated pieces of land. Besides the fire power of aircraft, artillery and tanks the nation had centuries of experience when it came to war as well as the very worthwhile experience of fighting not only modern but also the two world wars.

Tactics such as blitzkrieg could be used against the forces of Grimm; the monsters were used to melee and dust bullets in general with only ships having any large type of weapons. Britain had tanks which was a 120mm gun which fired high explosives and could moved decently well over tough terrain added with this would be artillery and then fighter jets. And if standard weaponry didn't work then there were always the options of Biological, Chemical and Nuclear weapons none of which anyone would mind if it was used purely against the Grimm. Well besides nuclear weapons if Remnant found out that a bomb could be created that was powerful enough to wipe entire cities of the map than there would be mass hysteria and with surprising success of the White Fang they could end up in terrorist hands.

"Probably not as big Vale is a city of concrete and modernity where as Mistral is old" There was no sense of condescension in his voice as he gave a quick rundown of Mistral. Mistral was very much like the Fear East countries such as Japan and China however unlike them who had to deal with rising population problems and not enough land Mistral didn't face that problem. They were a creative lot and would never allow concrete to take the place of their beautifully sculpted statues or other works of art. This was shown in the fact that despite there being no type of special event going on the majority of the people were wearing old style clothing instead of modern equipment. In fact now that he thought about it Pyrrha had never left Mistral in her life and so had never seen a concrete modern city in her life with the constant bustling around that went into it. She would likely face quite the culture shock since unlike the other three kingdoms Vale wasn't known for anything besides its agreeable climate and being a good choice to raise a family. Mistral was known for being the main giver to the world in culture like art, theatre, poetry, literature all that lot, Atlas was more known for its technological achievement's like the CCT or robots which were replacing its military. That was another thing about the ice kingdom it had the only military and that had spilled down into the populace as they were considered more disciplined than most and then there was Vacuou which was essentially ran on the principle of if you could survive you were welcome. Other than that Vacuo had no laws or authority besides the Huntsman academy oh there was also the fact that it was stationed in the middle of a dessert. Finally there was the not kingdom of Menagerie which as known for being the safe haven of Faunus and thereby likely by extension the safe haven for the white fang.

Again this was a strange thing for him, despite there being far more countries over two hundred by some people there was a general sense that countries had a few things that set them apart when you thought about them. Some were stereotypes like the Americans being fat and stupid which certainly wasn't true they had a lot more to go with that such as loud, ignorant, incredibly religious, and obnoxious. But they were also rich and had a powerful military which made them very much liked due to how they defended other countries with it. Canadians were known as being the most gentle people in the world and not having a single enemy besides often being involved in the same war as the U.K and U.S.A. Russia was considered scary, China was where everything came from, Australia was designed to kill humans and inhospitable. Japan was that strange country which seemed to have an obsession with robots, giant monsters and tentacle porn, Greece was broke but also one of the two main founders of western civilisation alongside Rome.

As for Britain there was the fact one didn't get in between a Brit and their tea the last country who tried was China and it didn't end very well for them, there was also a love of the Monarchy which depended more on each person since Liberals typically wanted her gone and conservatives like himself rather liked the monarchy. After all besides the sheer amount the monarchy brings to the country it gave Britain the ability to always be referred to when a person talked about the ROYAL air force of the ROYAL navy without the monarchy they would have to be referred to as the British Air force and the British Navy. Neither of which sounded anywhere near as good as their original names, then there was the sheer amount Britain had given to the world in terms of technology, literature, music, Parliament and his personal favourite the Empire. Of course there were bad things but in general Britain had a lot of things it was known for.

So for Vacuo and Vale to have so little attached to it when people thought of the country it was undeniably strange since there was no real facts he could go off.

"I hope so apparently most stuff is sold in malls" There it was again if there was one thing Nat had noticed about this worlds version of English it was that they preferred the simpler butchered version of English rather than the original refined and traditional method of speaking and spelling. Plus he would say it now he didn't give a shit what others thought but he would speak read and write in the British manner not the traitorous Yank way.

"Well I'm sure you'll get use to it when you're there although with where the school is situated I don't you will get time besides the weekends" Pyrrha nodded her head as she thought about going to the supermarket from Beacon Academy, located further inland on a giant cliff with a waterfall in front of it the school was also protected by mountains forcing people to take airship towards its. There was an airbus that went up and down the cliff side but going by the opening hours of the shops and the fact that staff didn't want students leaving the campus during weekdays besides for missions it was doubtful that Pyrrha would visit too often.

"I hope it's going to be fun" Having sat through education at Hogwarts and spent his entire life studying nonstop he could not say that typical education was fun. It was mandatory and necessary but school and education wasn't fun besides the off few lessons that a person enjoyed such as in his case it would be history where someone else might enjoy English or science. On the other hand he had noticed that most people preferred the company they had at school since it was where they made friends and hung out or learned the occasional interesting thing. With his own future in question he doubted he would enjoy warrior school but he would push through it and hope to graduate earlier than the normal school age, if he could accomplish that then he could get into a huntsman Academy and push through that giving him qualifications for a job. Then again if his book actually sold well than he could always just sit down in a house somewhere and live comfortably, On the other hand if his book did sell well than he would be asked for signatures and annoying fans who wanted to know more.

"You can only see" Pyrrha would likely be noticed as soon as she arrived and would likely be chosen by people to be friends with so that they could use her either way unless the girl got lucky she was probably going to go through her huntsman academy life like she had during her earlier life.

"Well I for one am looking forward to seeing another kingdom" Pyrrha was excited she could only imagine the difference of culture in other kingdoms, so far she had only gotten to know Nat but he was quite and didn't talk about where he grew up but she had heard things about the other kingdoms.

"You'll get used to it with time and when you go back home you'll find differences or strange things with culture you never even noticed" Pyrrha smiled she was glad she had found Nat he always seemed to have little hints and tricks that could help her in the future he also appeared to be a person who had experienced more adult things to her despite their ages. It wasn't in terms of sex or anything like that but more along the lines that he was far more mature in his age never speaking rudely or doing things that other boys had done when she was his age in fact she noticed he liked to read when he wasn't writing in his free time.

"Nat do you think you could help me with some extra clothes for Vale" Nodding Nat followed the girl into the clothes store, it wasn't a case of Pyrrha packing unresponsively just that since he seemed to understand Vale better than she did that it could be useful to have some clothing hints. "So what would you suggest?"

"Something warmer than hat you wear down here T-shirts and jumpers are bests as it's colder than Mistral and you'll be by mountains an cliffs as well as by the sea so you could get more powerful wind" Personally He wouldn't have bothered with buying new clothes but unlike him Pyrrha couldn't just enchant her clothes to make herself immune to the temperature extremes. Nats clothing were incredibly well enchanted to manage heat so much so that he could walk in Antarctica without noticing anything besides his skin the same with the equator. Other than though having the right clothing was a necessity especially with surviving even if the people of this world were able to withstand temperature differences better than other people. Besides the mountains where the school was next to though the temperature seemed to be around that of Germany and France. With his advice taken the red head began to pick out some clothe she thought would be appropriate at the same time Nat kept his eyes on the other shoppers.

Most seemed to be on their normal routine not bothering to heed him any attention likely since they just considered him another guy who had been brought into the store by their girlfriend. However not everybody was ignoring him some had noticed that he had arrived with Pyrrha and that she was coming up to him and purposely asking questions but the people he was focused on were the criminals. They were trying to be discreet sitting outside the shop on a bench with a news paper but every now and again they would pop their heads up and look at him it was too bad for them that he noticed. As soon as his eyes met theirs he was straight into their mind learning their memories and their goals. Like he had expected they were looking out for Pyrrha since she was a valuable commodity in their minds however they were instead watching him as he was now her bodyguard. Quickly learning the plan to kidnap Pyrrha Nat devised his own he would use Pyrrha as a distraction so he could lure the potential kidnappers into a secluded street where he could take them out.

"So what do you think of these" Returning back to the wizard Pyrrha showed a series of different t-shirts and jumpers nothing was too revealing or daring with it just being average everyday clothes. There was a beige coloured jumper a few t-shirts with some random words or pictures on them, he gave his approval they looked warmer than the typical thinner Mistral T-shirts and would likely assist her as she trained to be a glorified mercenary.

"Look's fine so where so you want to head to now" Thinking Pyrrha thought of the next best place to go she didn't want to do anything too strenuous yet and she also didn't want to eat a large meal yet giving her the idea of the cinema.

"Lets go see a movie there's a new action film put" With a nod of his head Nat followed the girl while he asked the girl what the film was about smiling as she remembered the previous films in the series she told him.

"It's about a warrior in Mistral during the Great War, the protagonists name is Henry Wood and he has to fight loads of Grimm while rescuing the Emperors daughter" Going along with the story he could quite easily tell what was going to happen since Mistral was very similar to the far east it would likely have some similar telling points such as a small army although they wouldn't have a large wall to protect.

"Sound's good" It didn't but keeping Pyrrha happy was one of the things he needed to do to keep himself in a decent condition at least until he could find a decent person for an apprenticeship in which case he could then hopefully leave this continent all together.

"Well I hope you enjoy it's the trailer looked fantastic" As the day progressed Nat noticed that far more people were out and more of them were taking notice of him and Pyrrha together something which was definitely causing rumours and more criminals to watch them. When they reached the cinema the rumours only began to grow since the two of them were watching a film together and Nat had to even subtly use magic to get rid of some people who wanted to take pictures of them. Of course while she didn't show it due to her personality Pyrrha was not feeling comfortable with this and soon enough things heated up to a point after the cinema when there was a confrontation.

"Hey what's a kid like you doing with the invincible girl" Their manners were atrocious but either way Nat could tell that they were jealous of him since the two of them were spending causal time together. At the same time Nat could tell that there were quite a few boys who after being sponsored by some news companied were all waiting to confess to Pyrrha live. Essentially the plan was to make a story if Pyrrha accepted a boy's confession than it would make a large story where as if she declined she could be scorned as some type of heartbreaker. Tapping the girl he then quickly leant into her ear whilst covering it so nobody would hear what he was going to say.

"Play along" Having an idea of what he wanted to do Pyrrha did so with any luck the two of them could get away from his situation without people screaming and shouting at her. Because of this plan she felt as Nat held her hand in his before he just turned his eyes to the brat who had asked the stupid question believing in his ignorance that the girl belonged to anybody. "She's my girl friend" The reaction was to be expected as cameras immediately tried to take pictures of them however for some strange reason they all seemed to fail as well as other electronics that were nearby unaware that a very quick pulse of Nats magic had just acted as an Emp.

"That's a lie there's no way a person like Pyrrha would go out with you" Shouting and screaming the boy seemed to be utterly angry that the girl of his desires had been taken from him but he was stopped dead in his tracks as Pyrrha spoke up.

"We've been dating for the last month, I've just been away for that time" More shock was the general reaction of people as the beloved invincible girl confirmed reports that she was no longer single even if it was a lie. It was almost amusing for Nat to watch as all the people brought out their various forms of technology only to realise that they were broken in some way not working however the reporters had kept pen and paper on them so they began to ask questions.

"So where did you two meet" The reporter was a woman wearing a dress but instead of getting an answer Nat had enough of answering questions and made it rather prevalent as he went to this typical interview response mode.

"Fuck off you wanking whoring arse Grimm incestual licking bitch and go get a real fucking life not that it would do much good" Everybody froze as they looked in shock at the response they had been given before they could give any worded response back though Nat had gripped Pyrrha's arm and ran off into the cinema leaving quite a few stunned people although Nat ensured he quickly left the amount of money needed and grabbed the tickets thanks to a small amount of pocket money that Pyrrha had lent him.

After finding a secluded spot in the cinema he subtly cast some spells when Pyrrha wasn't looking which would keep them hidden in the mean time Nat gave Pyrrha a small smile as he thought of the best way to handle the current situation. Telling her that he was having a quick visit to the toilet he left the cinema his wand drawn and then apparated back into the cinema's main atrium where he would begin his work.

He said nothing as he quickly locked the doors and blinds everybody so far who had been in the meeting hall had only seemingly just recovered from his distracting outburst. Before they could speak however Nat's hand moved rapidly sending multiple powerful spells crashing into the peoples body knocking them unconscious with ruthless efficiently, none of the people had their aura's unlocked allowing such a brutal dispatch. With all electronic equipment now destroyed he quickly began removing the memories of all the people wiping their minds clean of the incident as well as putting strong compulsion charms on the journalists that would hopefully mean that they would screw up and get fired. Once this was sorted he undid the locks and curtains before apparating back into his seat with Pyrrha. Before Pyrrha could react to what had happened Nat's wand had already removed the incident and replacing it with a better more favourable one once this was done he kept the charms up since he didn't want another incident.

"I fucking hate journalists bloody scourge of the earth" Pyrrha didn't hear his faults but Nat couldn't help but think of those scum bags, all they ever cared about was getting a story and they constantly invaded people's privacy to get it. He had gained a rather notable reputation back home for either ignoring or swearing at journalists never bothering to give a review and every time some weird thought they could force him into one he just walked out. Not to mention always questioning about his personal life like it was any of their bloody business or trying to inspire younger people or give sponsorship deals to some companies or another. He had only just confirmed his reputation back home ensuring that journalists would typically leave him alone besides when they sent some new rookie who was sent against him. In one of the last interview's the fucker had the audacity to call him a murder as the last rookie had committed suicide when a part of his less than desirable past had been anomalously delivered to the daily Prophet. Bastard had it coming in his opinion.

Still despite his wish to see all journalists leave him alone for the rest of eternity he knew that he couldn't allow Pyrrha to have negative feelings about him which was why he had wiped her memory. With her memory gone of the event she could feel comfortable without ever knowing that she had held hands with a stranger or were ambushed by reporters who were planning on advancing their careers by throwing her under a train. Not to mention having see her personality unless someday was a cruel person in her view than she wouldn't accept his use of such profanity although in this case the journalist was lucky that all she had were her memories wiped.

"Pyrrha I brought you some snacks" Accepting the offered popcorn and drink which Nat had again paid for with Pyrrha's money the two of them sat back to enjoy the movie. Soon the film had ended and Nat had found the fill somewhat interesting not because of the plot or characters they were rather bland than again with the movie industry back home there was far more of the same stuff than here. Not the thing he found interesting was watching as the supposed hero fought with medieval weaponry in a really strange war that did seem rather bizarre by earth standards. Then again Italians had gone to war over a bucket once and there was the time when the Swiss sent out eighty soldiers to fight in a war and came back with eighty one as the soldier's had made a friend.

"That was a good film my favourite part was when he scaled the mountain with the Grimm surrounding him" Heading out of the cinema Pyrrha didn't seem to notice that people weren't following her with their eyes instead as soon as they neared the two of them their vision seemed to bounce off them.

"The action was okay" Nat wouldn't be surprised that the reason for some of the amazing unrealistic fight sequences was because the actor had likely been trained in a huntsman academy since if the moves had been pulled back on earth it would have got critics pissed. Then again if he did publish his book than quite a few people would consider the sheer scope of the war and military blunders unbelievable especially things like Dunkirk. After all people liked realism and because it didn't happen on Remnant something like Dunkirk where over there hundred thousand soldiers escaped over such a short time period would likely stretch the imagination of some readers. On the other hand there was nowhere near an interest in war on Remnant that there was on earth, sure there was the occasional war game or film but in general the idea of war just wasn't one that was on the day to day mindset of people on the planet besides generals. Naturally this was very different to Earth since to his knowledge there had never been a single day in all of history when there was world peace as somebody was always fighting somebody else. " So where do you want to eat" Smiling in return Pyrrha quickly name some type of restaurant dragging Nat towards it before then getting a seat for the two of them.

"I'm looking forward to trying Vale food in a few weeks do you know how it's going to be different" As he had mentioned before Vale was practically Europe although mainly western and to be even more specific a mix of Britain , France and Germany whilst Mistral was East Asia so the food similarities were like similar. As he wasn't a connoisseur of chef he couldn't really say besides that East Asia seemed to have rice as staple meal in their diet where as the closet thing for Europe would likely be bread and perhaps potatoes.

"Likely less rice and noodles and more meat and vegetables" It wasn't the best response he could give but as he wasn't a culinary chef it was also likely the best response he could have given with his limited knowledge. Food to his knowledge was very much to do not only with taste but also with culture, location and economics, Britain which was in Europe had never had an obsession with rice but then again to his knowledge a person couldn't grow rice in the country which was why it was imported from places like China. On the other hand colder places like the Nordics countries were less likely to have citrus fruits in their main meals but again as he wasn't a chef nor did he know anything besides where to go to buy the food he had no clue how this stud worked so he was guessing and going by his own experience.

"All right lets go get lunch" Following the girl the two of them came across some restaurant in which Nat couldn't be bothered to remember the name of. Like the few trips he had to Japan this restaurant was one of those where people were given a grill on a table with various types of food allowing a person to cook the food to how they wanted not that the two of them went for that option instead preferring something similar.

"I'll have the chicken ramen please no condiments" Stating the order the man then turned to the star of Mistral with a smile as he recognised one of his regular's with what appeared to be for the very first time not only a friend but a boyfriend. Waiting for the order Nat tried to make himself discreet as he recognised more criminals in the heart of the capital city. Apparently they didn't make trouble in the city as it was too risky instead preferring to do that sort of thing where rules were less stringent and people were easier to black mail. Still they all seemed to have the same plan of kidnapping the girl or as they had just figured out now kidnap the parents and force the girl to do what they want. Now with their meals given as the owner had given Pyrrha her regular the two of them were treated to a special table by a window that looked out into the empty mountainous scenery around them.

"You seem to be rather popular" Blinking Pyrrha turned her head as she saw other people staring at the two of them, by now she was use to the people staring and wanting to know more about her. Taking the chopsticks on the side of her bowl she quickly began to start getting ready for lunch but not before answering the wizard's questions.

"Yes people like to watch me in the arena a lot and since I've won so many times and modelled" Nat noticed that the girl didn't want to talk about the subject and having seen her mind and memories he could tell very much why since she wanted to concentrate on her time with him as her friend.

"Well with any luck you won't have to deal with it so badly in Vale and if it does you can always give me a cal if you need to talk about anything. Just remember the time difference though I don't exactly need to be called in the middle of class" Pyrrha smiled at that, the small joke had lifted her spirits up as she remembered that she had an actual friend that she could talk to if she needed it was just a shame he couldn't be a little older and so could go to Beacon with her.

"I'll remember that but you can also call me if you need help with homework" Carrying on with the joke Nat just nodded as he also began to eat breaking the small pack of chopsticks before eating. Pyrrha had been slightly surprise but he simply told her that he had picked up the skill during travelling added with a small compulsion charm and she didn't question about where here had travelled to.

When the meal was finally done the two went back to shopping but this time Pyrrha was showing him a shop for huntsmen and huntresses. The shop was similar to other shops he had seen in the U.S during the few trips he had made for magical tournaments. Large backpacks were kept on shelves, Torches (Flashlights) and sets of dust were next to them as well as few other electronics as well as tents, sleeping bags and all other types of survival gear was located in the shop. However the main meat of the shop were the weapons that adorned certain areas, large powerful and sometimes rather elegant these weapons which came in all shapes and forms from guns to spears really showed the type of life that huntsmen endured. As they walked around the shop owner had obviously taken an interest in Nats sabre as it hung down from his waist, it wasn't a hungry look of greed but rather one of interest as he tried to recognise it but couldn't.

Finally finished with the weapons and the many types of weaponised dust crystals most of which were for ammunition and multiple types had been picked up by Pyrrha as she restocked her private supply. As for him with the advantage of magic he didn't have to worry about every running out of ammunition just increasing his accuracy with modern firearms since he had never fired one before.

"Hey kid mind if I look at your sword can't say that I've seen that model before" Not wanting to make a fuss Nat pulled the blade out of the sheath and handed it over all the while he made sure he was ready to cast a spell if he needed to. While he did this Pyrrha paid for her ammunition to some assistant who was working the till allowing the man who was looking at Nat's sword to look at it more closely.

"What's it's name" Having seen Pyrrha's memories he knew that weapon naming was something that all huntsman did it was some sort of tradition as well as an acknowledgement of what their job was in life. On Earth some people did name their swords and weapons but he wasn't one of them; to him while the sword was passed down for generations nobody had ever bothered to name it because it wasn't important.

"Doesn't have one and I don't intend to name it" This comment seemed to offend the man as he looked at the sword and then to its owner a look of utter shock and horror etched onto his face. This was when the man seemed to feel that he had to rebuke Nat and tell him why he had to name his weapon.

"That cannot be even if a weapon is one of many of the same design it has to be named now give this sword a name" Nat didn't even take the man's seriousness as the man attempted to hold his sabre protectively like he was guarding it from an undeserving parent that was a bad move on the man's part.

"Give me my sword back or I shoot you" Moving his hand towards the pistol holstered at his side the man seemed to realise he was in a bit of a situation if he tried to go for his own weapon than Nat would shoot before he could. Reluctantly and with a small growl as he realised he had been beaten the man handed the sabre back to Nat who while maintaining calm subtly cast a nightmare spell on him when nobody else looked.

"I shall warn you young man that weapons need proper names especially if you are to be a hunter" Nat ignored the man instead walking out the shop with Pyrrha for some reason today a lot of people were incredibly annoying and he didn't particularly wish to start casting magic on people in retaliation.

"Well that went badly" With Nats hand gripping the handle of his sword he walked alongside Pyrrha as they went to deal with more of Pyrrha's spending habits such as having to select the right amount of chocolates and sweets since when she got in Vale she wouldn't have access to them anymore. "Why didn't you name your sword?" With Pyrrha's second comment she couldn't help but wonder what a weapon would not be named after all it was tradition around the world for people to name their weapons if they didn't at least make them.

"It's inherited, where I'm from weapons are rarely given names unless there's something really special about them" The very few weapons he could remember that had a personal name were Excalibur and the odd Goblin swords which popped into history otherwise besides their normal name he couldn't think of any.

"Oh then where did you get your symbol, it's as an interesting one and I've never seen anything like it in design" It was due to him routing through Pyrrha memories that he knew what Pyrrha meant, a symbol was an image which belonged to each huntsman and huntress like a calling card and could be used to identify a person for whatever reason. They came in all sorts of shapes and colours such as Pyrrha's was that of a red spear surrounded by a red circle it was rather obvious what it represented being her transforming spear, sword, rifle weapon and her shield. In contrast the ting that Pyrrha had mistaken for his symbol was the Union Jack or the British flag in simple terms because it had been on both of his shoulders about the same size as a military shoulder flag making it noticeable.

"That's also inherited" In a sense that was true as a citizen of the United Kingdom this flag belonged to his country and therefore he could use it and now that he thought about it would prove to be quite useful. If he did use his country's flag it meant that he didn't have to use his families coat of arms and that would be complicated since he had no wish to create a brand new symbol from scratch not to mention form what he had seen of other symbols it stood out.

"Its nice simple yet elegant I didn't realise one could make a good symbol like that with just three colours and some basic shapes" Nat was no vexillologist (Person who studies flags) but he could understand what she meant from the flags he could remember back home his country stood out in appearance and there were very few others he would state which were anywhere near as recognisable in general. The U.S, Canada, Brazil, Barbados and Japan were the first ones that came to mind due to them standing out, as for countries like France and Denmark while they had been the most famous examples of certain flag designs the problem was that there were so many copy cats that they became far too similar. That didn't mean that some flag designs weren't similar to the unique ones but those that were had either been inspired or were passed over for more recognisable flags.

"Yes well it makes it easy to recognise" Nodding her head as she realised that she could now easily track how he was doing in school by asking for his symbol is she ever so wished allowing her to help him with home work. Nat had picked up on this thought as he two realised this after he did a quick search of the most famous hunter symbols all of which had pictures of certain items whether it was weapons, flower, animals either way his symbol was very much unique in its design compared to the rest. "Where do you want to go now" Pyrrha stopped for a moment as she tried to think of a suitable place before she smiled as something obviously popped into her head and as a result soon later Nat was in an art gallery looking at paintings.

"Do you happen to like art" Pyrrha was looking in close detail to some random picture depicting Mistral, the purple eyes wizard would state that the picture looked pretty but that was it.

"No" This seemed to shock the girl a bit but unlike her were painting and art had become indreibly important becoming an everyday thing for the average person of Mistral, Nat had never particularly found the desire of art instead he tended to ignore it wherever he went including the moving talking magical ones. He had never once held an interest in art and couldn't even name a single artist not even the famous ones, he didn't begrudge artists like him the job they provided didn't actually help or advance the human race. While he thought other wizards for money artists painted pictures for money there also wasn't a case of the world running out of artists which allowed him to believe that if some courses at college or university were provided free than it should only be applied to useful courses such as medicine, construction, Engineering.

"Oh" Getting over her frown Pyrrha kept going through the art gallery talking about pictures and how she liked them asking for Nats personal opinion which was he just didn't care something which had gotten him quite a few scowls from people as art was a very important thing to their culture.

Eventually though the day came to an end with Nat and Pyrrha heading back as they did so Nat kept scanning the area for the gang members. So far his presence and the daylight had been enough to scare them away but now it was dark and the amount of people on the streets were decreasing that was when Nat felt the small warning spells around Pyrrha's house go off. Straight afterwards he and Pyrrha soon found themselves surrounded by members of the gang realising the situation he quickly whispered the situation to her.

"Go they've taken your parents I'll deal with this lot" Turning her head to face her partner he sword drawn alongside her shield Pyrrha gave him a concerned look, while Nat had improved significantly under her tutelage there was no way he would be able to defeat thirty opponents all of whom looked better trained the average thug.

"I can't leave you alone" Speaking resolutely she tried to convince her one and only friend that she wouldn't leave him, she could beat these people on her own but that left her parents to the hands of other thugs that might do things to her parents. Yet now in a situation of violence she was afraid that with how these thugs were acting that if she left Nat she would never see him alive again.

"If you don't you're parents are dead or worse" The implication hit the red head home as she started to wonder what would happen if she truly lost her parents to a bunch of thugs before she could retort though in hopes of stating with her friend she heard Nat speak again. "Pyrrha go" For some reason she listened to that command but not before leaving some parting words.

"I'll never forget this" Rolling his eyes internally at her emotional comment he watched her flip over some of the thugs high into the air before rushing to her home in hopes of saving her life it was only after this that the thugs spoke.

"Nice try kid but we have an ambush planted for her there anyway on behalf of men everywhere let me just say that I'm going to feel good doing this" Nat said nothing as he placed his sabre and gun back in their respective sheaths instead with a flick of his wrist his wand appeared into his hand and instantly unleashed a spell.

The thug had no time to react as a high powered blasting spell smashed into his legs with a loud noise before the man could even recognise what had happened everything below the waist had been blown to pieces. Totally in shock the man passed out unfortunately for the other guards Nat was a duellist which meant speed something which became readily apparent as with a high powered Accio spell all of their weapons were ripped from their bodies before then transfigured into a lion which jumped on the next poor thug. With his quick actions the thugs were too slow to even recognise what was going on for a few seconds but that was all that was needed for Nat to demolish two thirds of the group with incredibly fast magic casting. Limbs were ripped off the body others had large thick cuts into their body some were horribly burnt others with their bone sticking out of their joints all in all it was a gruesome sight. With looks of utter horror on their faces the last few thugs attempted to run away but were stopped when a rope was launched at them coiling around their bodies trapping them before to their horror the rope turned into a snake and bit them. The fight had been over in less than a minute, the thugs while better trained then average had never come across anyone like him before and it had showed by the utter wreck that their bodies were left in. None of them would die not even the one who had his legs blown off but none of them would ever be able to hold a job again.

"Amateurs" With the threat disposed off he quickly made his way into getting rid of their memories of the event it wouldn't do for thugs to recognise him after he had left them in such a state it would cause a few memories. As such with his wand still drawn he cast a powerful oblviviation charm and erased their memories of the night's entire events and replaced them with a memory of a gang war. When he finished the spell though he was made very much aware of another person due to the notification wards he had put up. Turning around his wand drawn he took in the sight of the man opposite.

"Well that was an interesting fight" He was tall, fair skinned possessing spiky black hair and red eyes that loudly declared that he was a veteran; the man would without doubt be considered handsome by some people even in his drunken state something that going by the amount of alcohol coming from the man made Nat think it was a regular occurrence. The man was wearing a banged up grey shirt that wasn't tucked in and a ripped red cape while on the man's back was a giant sword but going by the small cogs located on it the weapon could very much change its form like Pyrrha's. As he looked at the man despite the drunken behaviour Nat couldn't help but be on guard and unlike the thugs he had just fought or Pyrrha this man's aura was stronger perhaps protecting him from a mind assault. For whatever reason this man made him cautious and with the veteran look in his eyes a fight with him unlike Pyrrha could end very badly for him.

"They got what they had coming" The man walked slowly to the most injured of the group members placing his fingers onto their jugular to check that while yes entire body limbs had been ripped off it was apparent that something had stopped the bleeding allowing them to survive. While this man had checked on the badly beaten bodies his red eyes had never left his as if he was trying to tell whether he was a threat or not.

"A rather brutal way of dealing with some people don't ya think" It was obvious that this man who set him on edge was very much waiting for a response that would allow the dark haired man to form a picture of him.

"They'll live" Momentarily the man's eyes dropped to Nats waist as he took in the image of the sabre and the pistol that he was using as his cover weapons in this world. For some reason Nat noticed the man seemed to have a very brief but negative view as he took in he sabre perhaps the man had come across a person which annoyed him to no end.

"While that's true I'm far more interested in how you a young man, became a maiden" Now the man was very much looking at him suspiciously so much so that the man had gripped the back of his sword tightly read to draw it out and use the weapon if it was needed. There was no outward reaction from Nat as he tried to think about what the man was talking about, the likelihood of his gender begin what he was talking about was next to nothing and he was referring to his magic so he needed to think about old stories. Many old stories at home like Merlin had some truth to them, they were rarely dead on but they got close enough for a picture to form, For this world the only story he could think of was the story of the four maidens who were granted the ability to control the elements by an old wizard.

Nat apparated.

"What the" The drunk man stared at the position that Nat had been standing at for a few moments before he sighed obviously besides somehow stealing a maidens power his semblance had to be teleportation however not all was lost. The kid had been with Pyrrha before she moved away to rescue her parents which meant that if he found her than he could find the strange kid. Having been to Mistral quite a few times as well as being a veteran huntsmen it became easy for him to locate Pyrrha's house and so without hesitation turned into a raven and flew off in that direction.

Nikos Residence

Busting through her front door Pyrrha spent no time as she instantly fired her weapon in the form of a gun knocking back two of thugs before than bashing another in the face with her shield as she transformed her weapon into a sword. From there she slashed at two other thugs knocking them back before advancing on the others, quickly the group all fell to the Mistral tournament winner as she dispatched all of the attackers.

"Mum, Dad" Rushing over to her parents she quickly sliced the rope that was holding them before embracing them in a hug as she held them tightly glad that they were safe a moment later Nat came through the door with his sabre and pistol in hand. Seeing that Pyrrha had saved her parents Nat went onto the business of smashing his steel cap boots into the faces of the thugs who were still conscious with some force when he was done he then proceeded to drag the bodies outside so he was in private and could then erase the memories. When he did he came face to face with a red eyed crow. Without a moment's hesitation he cast his wand on the bird unleashed a spell at it. All of a sudden that black crow turning it from an animal to a slightly stunned drunk man with a giant sword in his hand as he pointed it at him. Taking a risk this time though Nat looked into the man's eyes and used legimency and pushed forward into the man's head looking for the man's memories and answers to his questions rapidly information came to him.

"Qrow Brawen I think we can help each other" With that Nat quickly told the members of the Nikos family that he had something to do before he followed Qrow into a secluded spot on top of a mountain. After transfiguring a set of chairs from a stone and filling the man's canister up with free booze he began to speak. "I've seen your memories and know exactly what's going on which I proposition for you." Qrow looked at the magic kid strangely the boy had rather quickly and brutally dispatched a good amount of thugs with that stick of his.

"Yeah and what's that".

"First I'll give a brief overview of who and what I am after that you take me on as an apprentice" Qrow gave a small laugh as he looked at the kid while dangerous with that twig he was still asking a big favour yet with the situation on the moment he decided that it would be best to humour the boy first. If things went wrong than he could always drag him back to Ozpin for more questioning.

"All right I'll bite but if you want an apprenticeship you better make it a dam good story" Normally Nat would have never done such a thing like this but he wasn't so stupid as to reveal important information to random people but his life was different now. There was no way he would ever see home and with how the world works he needed somebody older he could trust and one of the reasons he chose Qrow was for the information that he had. This man was part of a secret group that had knowledge which could set this world in flames and was why Qrow was incredibly worn off him.

Over the next set of hours Nat told a very brief amount of who he was and how he had ended up here at first Qrow didn't look convinced but after a few demonstrations and telling Qrow some of the huntsman's most embarrassing memories the man knew that Nat could indeed invade the mind of others and see their memories. After that came the revelations of magic, earth a small amount of history as well as how he had ended up in Pyrrha's care eventually in the end Qrow was left with a decision to make as he looked at the kid still in some disbelief.

"As you know people will hunt you down for your powers and if you're just left in Mistral then there's a good chance you could be spotted. I don't trust James to not try and turn you into a weapon and as for Vacuo well it wouldn't be your kind of place with Vale there's already one maiden there so having a more active one in the same area could cause trouble. Plus you won't be good enough to get by with just weapons at a huntsmen academy so as you said the best place for you would be under the protection of me while we move and I can teach you how to fight better". After going through all other possible plans Qrow would have to admit that the kid coming with him would be safest not only for him but also for him and the rest of their little hidden group. Besides this he would rather keep the news from Ozpin of a fifth magic user not because he didn't trust the man but it was too risky to just call him up an tell him what was happening with the kid not to mention the fact that if the kid wanted he could just teleport away.

"I take it you accept my offer then I become your apprentice and in return I help you out with a few things" The people who Qrow were involved with very much had the capacity of giving him a new life with records, grades and free qualification on the other hand joining up with them was a danger. Plus going by the man's memories this other group would likely try to hunt him down and turn him to their side so having protection would also prove useful. It was a controlled risk going with this man and eventually joining the group however he literally had nothing to lose since if he was given an apprenticeship he no longer had to worry about Pyrrha being his financial backer giving him a sense of freedom again. Not to mention that he wouldn't have to spend years at school again learning basic education besides history and combat classes.

"If you can give me infinite booze kid and not try to destroy the world then yeah I guess I could teach you a thing or two in return for help. I'll meet you after you drop your lady friend at the airship tomorrow until then some more booze would be appreciated, I'm kinda running out" Shaking the man's hand Nat quickly refilled the man's bottle something that the man smiled at him for as he realised that one of his dreams had officially come true he could have unlimited free booze.

"I'll see you then" With a smirk Qrow gave a sort of goodbye in return.

"Welcome to the club" With that said Nat apparated away and Qrow happily drank his never ending bottle of ooze a very content smile on his face which then turned slightly grim as he looked at the world outside the safety of the city. "Let's just hope this doesn't all go to shit huh Oz"

Next day

"We'll miss you Pyrrha but remember this is where everything starts for you" Hugging her daughter closely Mrs Nikos had some small tears in her eyes it would be a very long time until she could see her again with the distance between her. In response Pyrrha hugged her mother back and then her father while stating some goodbyes finally she turned to Nat a happy smile on her face.

"Nat this is for you for being such a wonderful friend" Accepting the little present he opened it up to reveal two large British flags made in metal, he knew that it was suppose to be his symbol and that Pyrrha had got them created so he could wear them with more of his clothing rather than her jacket.

"Thank you Pyrrha it's been a pleasure. A word of advice though if you meet someone there that you like take advantage of it not all hero's are searching for someone else and you'll likely find one or two who is someone different than you though they were. But also don't forget to lend a hand the poor sod might be stuck in a tree somewhere". Pyrrha chuckled at the joke then taking the imitative in her friendship she pulled her arms around him and gave him a hug much to the wizards hidden annoyance but he let it slide finally she let go.

"Thanks for being my friend I hope to see you at Beacon in a few years" Nat nodded with that said and all goodbyes finished the red head climbed aboard the aircraft and waved goodbye to the family until she passed the mountains and were out of sight. Turning around to face the family Nat noticed Qrow in the corner and said his goodbyes.

"Well I'm off thank you for the hospitality and the gifts." The two parents of Pyrrha nodded their heads before they then watched the fourteen year old walk towards a Huntsman and after a few words the two headed off in a separate direction.

"I hope you're ready for the real world kid this won't be like your precious Earth" Refilling the man's drink so that the huntsman could relax himself Nat only began to think about the future ahead of him without doubt he would learn things and likely become a better warrior.

"That's why you're my teacher"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 5**

Kingdom of Mistral

"Again" Raising his sabre to face the man in front of him Nat went into a defensive strike and began to think on how long he could last this time before he found himself on the floor again while the huntsman took a swig of his drink. He didn't complain however instead he just prepared himself as the man swung slowly at him, he was able to deflect the first strike and then the second but the moment the man put more strength in his attack he was blown backwards by the power and smashed into the floor again. Getting back on his feet his could see the bored and slightly humoured expression on the man's face as he saw the state of melee combat. "Sheesh you're really bad at this it's a good job I found you or else you would be Grimm food right about now" Nat said nothing in response and just prepared for more fighting. "Oh come on talk a little it gets boring when you're so quiet"

There a small smirk on Qrows face as he watched his new student get back up for more beating, In all honesty though he wasn't impressed in the slightest. The kid was decent for a person who hadn't fought with aura before and had never encountered a foe which needed the strength and speed of aura to beat but after that his lack of experience showed. There was a very noticeable lack of experience from the wizard when it came to his sword, not just from only training with aura for about two weeks but also in general. The kid did have very fast reactions and could follow his blade rather well however he wasn't use to actually using the sword he owned, he was slow at least for the use of aura and he didn't have the techniques that swordsmen younger than he had.

In all honesty he was hoping that they didn't come across any major problem for at least three months since if they did the kid was more of a liability than a help. On the other hand the very brief display of magic he had seen made him think that the kid wouldn't be so bad in a fight so long as he could keep his distance but that should be kept as a last resort. Then came his target practise which while not bad was at the same level as his sword in terms of skill, basic and useful against weak non aura opponents but in a real fight would promptly be killed. As such when the two of them weren't moving he had to ensure that he gave the kid some proper actual lessons and not the safe bullshit they taught at schools, they were in the wild where death could occur at any place and at any time.

"There's nothing to talk about" This time Nat went on the offensive his eyes keeping careful track of what was going on around him something that had been drilled into him with his duelling career. His sabre was brought down for a headshot but was soon deflected by the man where with his superior speed Qrow then punched him in the stomach and sent him flying into the ground for what was the twenty seventh time that morning.

"I disagree you have that magic so why can't you just hocus pocus your way into winning this battle with me, because you're not going to win without it especially without your lady friend" If there was one thing Qrow would say that the kid did brilliantly it was his emotions, never once did he fall for taunts of any kind whether it be when he insulted his family which he knew nothing about, his lack of training or the odd thing he knew about his country like how much tea he drank. Instead he just maintained a calm unreadable expression preventing any sort of reaction allowing him to fight clearly or with fear something that was a very admirable trait if not for the fact that he was still getting kicked all over the place.

"That would go against the point of training" Swift and to the point Nat raised himself of before advancing on the man attacking this time managing to get a whole three attempted strikes before he felt Qrows slash his stomach. Still though he just got back up and tried again

"Oh come on my niece could do better than you with a sword" With a sigh realised that the kid likely already had some type of response he wasn't sharing and since the kid had seen his memories he knew the insult was useless. Ruby the one he was referring to was not only a year older than this kid but she had grown up on Remnant and had been training to be a Huntress all of her life which meant that she had attended combat school. She wasn't a hand to hand fighter nor was she a sword fighter but she could do the basics than this kid who had trained somewhat using non aura combat. As for Yang she wouldn't even need her own weapon as she would have sent the boy flying into a cliff and then into a hospital with her skills in hand to hand.

"More fighting please" With a smirk Qrow who was still fighting incredibly casually and putting no actual thought into the battle whatsoever got ready for the next round of attacks before again the kid would be on the floor plastering it with his image while covering himself in dirt. With a quick flick of his sword to show that he was ready Nat attacked again and like before was soon sent scrambling on the floor as despite Qrow seriously holding back he was still besting his opponent with utter ease.

"You know most students when they first attend combat class are better than you and can at least fight a little better, as for someone who spent a whole two weeks under Mistrals regional champion I expected a lot better" The fighting eventually continued for another hour with Qrow making remarks about his students terrible performance only to either be given short answers or no answers at all instead just being forced into more fighting as the kid attempted to improve his skills. "Okay kid that's enough for now let's get back on the road we need to get a decent amount of distance between us and Mistral" Cautiously the man looked at where the location of the city laid, they had walked a decent amount of space between them and the capital but they were still too close for his liking.

"To one of the villages I assume one which has a problem with Grimm" There was a small growl from Qrow as he realised where the kid had gotten the information from. If the kid was putting his nerves on edge due to a lack of combat skill then his regular intrusions into his mind were worse. All ready when he met up with Oz he could tell the look of mistrust the man would have when he realised that in a single moment with a chance encounter the kid had learned every single secret that he knew. Glynda would likely be annoyed and eye the kid suspiciously and Ironwood if he didn't try to kill the kid as a safety measure would then try to either lock him up send him to the scientists in Atlas or try to make him some kind of weapon they could use as for Oz. The old man would likely try to keep the kid with him there at Beacon where he could be watched constantly by at least two of their groups members multiple qualified huntsman's and huntresses who were teachers and an entire school of huntsman and huntresses in training.

Sounded great at first since the man would likely want to train the kid but as his new student had pointed out with his lack of melee skills people would suspect something and with not even an official record Oz would be put under very high scrutiny by the council. Not to mention that the people who attacked autumn could likely find him and then try to kidnap him and steal his powers like they had done to autumn. As such keeping the kid on the move with him where he could be trained by a professional hunter was the best idea and if things did go badly the kid already knew what Oz's office looked like so he could escape preventing capture and delivering fast and personal messages.

"According to the report there's been a medium size pack of beowolves hanging around roads and attacking travelling merchants; they want us to go find them and kill them as well as clean out any cave that they might be hiding in" Without doubt beowolves were the most common Grimm to be found in the world often hunting in packs and never particularly strong.

"I take it you plan to drop me off in the village while you handle the threat" There was a small look of annoyance on Qrow's face, with the kids ability to read minds he was never able to tell if the kid had managed to guess correctly or just extract the information. Personally he hated the idea with a person having that type of power than again it could prove incredibly useful if he needed to perform any interrogations of less than desirable people.

"That's right as I said before you're just not ready to be fighting Grimm without your hocus pocus and since we want to be keeping that information to ourselves you need to improve. Seriously though I'm curious about your planet you mentioned that you don't have huntsmen and you also don't have Grimm, Faunus or dust so what's that like" Looking at the kid curiously Qrow would admit that this idea of a different planet was an incredibly intriguing one, from the small info he got he could tell that it was a very different existence to that here on Remnant.

"Depends on the country unlike here there is just under two hundred" Qrow blinked as he heard that, having grown up in Remnant he was use to the idea of four kingdoms and possibly a fifth in Menagerie. Each of the kingdoms while having trade with one another generally tried to be as self sufficient as possible due to Grimm forcing kingdoms to grab as much land as they possibly could.

"That's a lot kid how do so many nations exists all at once, aren't there wars over land" With so many countries on this planet Qrow could only imagine the amount of tension there would be to get recourses like dust and arable land. Here on Remnant there were only four real safe places in the world and those were the four kingdoms with most of their strength coming from their prime real estate.

"Thousands in the past but peace seems to be the growing trend especially after two world wars and one cold war" Again Qrow was confused the first two wars were rather obvious to guess in what they were but what was a cold war, Remnant had seen wars before with the great war being the worst one the world had ever faced and there had been wars before that but never had a cold one been mentioned perhaps it was something to do with snow.

"Yeah and what's a cold war people fighting each other in the snow" Qrow chuckled as he waited for an answer to this strange concept.

"In essence a cold war is when there is a lot of hostility between two sides but they won't actually engage each other in an actual war instead its fought through culture, politics proxy wars" Nodding his head the man was being able to understand what happened however his mind turned to what the kid had said before about two world wars. He'd admit that the war parts of history had always intrigued him more than the bland boring parts in history like dates and numbers.

"What about these world wars how bad were these" He thought back to his lessons on the great war when Vale and Vacuo fought against Mistral and Atlas, a lot of people had died in that time period at least over half million in total casualties with the cities of the world losing quite a few people. It was a war on a scale never before imagined with armies' traversing entire continents for years before it was a peace was called on the island of Vytal.

"Thirty seven million casualties in the first world war and over sixty million killed in the second war" The sound of Qrow spitting the alcohol in his mouth was made apparent as he stared at the kid in utter shock at the amount of people, his mind tried to comprehend such numbers of people but just couldn't. With Grimm forever cornering humanity into small pockets large populations had never really occurred not to the point where a million people could be killed yet alone tens of millions of people.

"Fucking Dust kid how many people are on your planet" He still stared at the wizard in shock as his mind still tried to think of ways how that many people could die in a war. Huntsmen were very good fighters and killer when needed but for the ability to kill tens of millions of people it was just unheard off unthinkable really.

"As of when I left, it was eight point three billion"

ERROR_QROW_BRAWEN_MIND HAS SHUT DOWN

REBOOT

Looking at the man Nat could pretty much tell that the man was having a hard time just trying to believe such a figure from what he had learned of the man's mind there was a consensus amongst the world's scientists that at the absolute most and being very generous Remnant only had a population of one hundred million. So for the physical concept of not only one billion people to be alive but rather at over right billion would probably send the man thinking he was insane.

"That's impossible kid even without Grimm" The man sounded doubtful as he tried to think about the numbers of the world on the other hand if the kid was correct about the numbers then it explained why a war could easily have so many people killed.

"There's been a few hiccups but without Grimm Humans have been pretty much free to do what we want as time went on." Qrow blinked what the boy meant by Hiccups for a planet to have that many people these hiccups had to have been some incredibly dangerous events in their history ones which sounded even worse than Grimm.

"What Hiccups?" Qrow asked questioningly but also generally out of curiosity.

"The two that come to mind are the Black Death and World War Three" For same reason those names sounded far more intimidating and scary than they should have been like there was some kind of magical presence in the air which rattled his senses. The Black Death made him think of Grimm they had black skin and were a terrifying thing to happen to those who lived outside the safety of the kingdoms, whole towns could vanish over night as a Grimm incursion occurred. As for World War Three what could be so bad that it could have crushed such a large population of eight point three billion people. Before he could ask for clarification Nat gave him a bit more info.

"The Black Death was a massive case of Bubonic plague which swept over the continent and wiped out two thirds of the population, as it was a time of religious science the effects were brutal but ultimately needed. As for the Cold War the two sides possessed weapons of mass destruction in the shape of bombs each one could wipe entire cities of the face of the planet and there were tens of thousands of them"

There was silence heavy in the air as the huntsman tried to imagine a weapon so powerful, he had heard from Oz about the capacities of Maidens but actual weapons capable of just wiping entire cities in one go it was impossible. If such weapons existed on Remnant than it could prove disastrous for the world, already the White Fang were stealing important Atlas military tech if they somehow got created one of these weapons then they would be unstoppable.

"The worst part is that if enough nukes are detonate than there would be a nuclear winter that would lower the planets temperature and kill off most life since the world would have so much soot in the air that it would stop sunlight getting through" For some reason Qrow knew he should have been expecting something even worse than the ability to just wipe cities from the map now they could also destroy all life just by being used.

"These weapons do you know how to make them" For reasons of safety for the entire world he needed to know just what could happen if the kid got tortured and forced to give up information. If Salem ever learned about this information than she would win in a heartbeat there would be no need for careful planning and scheming just drop a bomb and goodbye city.

"Only what everyone else knows I've never learned the science and it would take decades for the technology to actually be useful since yours differs from ours quite a bit" For once Qrow couldn't help but be incredibly happy about how dust was used in machines he could only imagine the destruction that these weapons could cause if their power came from somewhere else. Still though the fact remained that if the kid was captured and tortured it could very much mean the end of the world.

"Why the hell would you people create such a weapon" Having seen Qrows mind Nat knew that due to a far lower population of the planet that mass weapons generally went built or even thought off. The same was true with wars after all why create such powerful devices to wipe entire cities of the map if you had potential massive armies that Atlas could only ever dream about.

"To win the second world war and in theory to save lives however there's still a great debate over how many were saved especially with other bombing techniques" Again Qrow couldn't help but wonder how bad was this second world war of theirs to force the creation of such weapons, the death count seemed incredibly high as did the amount of casualties.

"What's bombing techniques throwing a few grenades now and then; I can't see how that would do as much damage as weapons which can destroy entire cities"

"Aerial bombing is when you have hundreds if not thousands of aircraft flying over a city and just dropping bombs nonstop" Again Qrow couldn't think of any examples from Remnant had the capability to field so many aircraft into a single battle let alone just to drop bombs and then run away. Before he could voice any more questions he heard the wizard speak again. "If you want history lessons I have a few documentaries you can watch, they'll be better at informing you than I can and you kind o need a large overview of what's happening" At first Qrow was tempted to pass on the offer but when you were stuck in the middle of a kingdom without decent access to a CCT having something to keep your mind off things was good. Not to mention wars were the more interesting parts of history so a world war could prove to be an interesting bit of history, hell if he was lucky he might even learn some good tactics which he could show off to Ironwood and embarrass him in front of that excuse he called a military.

"Sounds interesting how do you plan on watching them? Where we're heading isn't exactly the city you know" They had only just left Mistral so the chance of them stumbling across a town yet was extremely doubtful and Qrow preferred to walk rather than fly or drive since it enabled him to keep his skills up. With Nat being his new student he couldn't really have fast travel as he needed to train the kid up so that he could fend for himself against not only Grimm but also undesirable people who called this world home.

"I have all my belongings on me I was in the middle of moving when I was brought to this world" One of the reasons he was being straight with the man was because he both needed him for his own personal reasons such as training but also so that the man could trust him something the man didn't d easy due to his childhood. If Nat wanted to make a new life in this world he had to have an education and since he was unwilling to spend more years of the constant torture that was school then education under this huntsman was his best option.

"That's rather convenient" Nat didn't reply he was rather pleased that he had been moving when he was sucked to this world, not only did it leave him with some memories of home to last forever but it also gave him vital and valuable information which could be put to good use. War strategy was a good one this world had yet to encounter a war on the size of the two planets world wars yet alone one the scale of the seven years war where every single continent was involved and new strategies had to be designed. Tactics like Blitzkrieg had never been used since when the Great War was though bows arrows and spear were used with only very primitive firearms being used by Atlas where as with Earth the amount of strategy needed was immense.

To fight an effective modern war on Earth you needed a strong economy both the political and social will to fight, the actual technology, bases and alliances as well as soft power in the UN. After this was the actual people who would be fighting the wars and the branches they served in as well such as ships guns planes, then there was the generals that would be needed to exist to command forces. If there was a modern Remnant World War than Atlas would flat out pulverise every single nation since they were the only ones with a military and while they had never actually used it since the Great War it still gave them an advantage

Even then from what he had learned about Atlas military technology he wasn't impressed, their ships floated but only because of dust crystals could use and the same went with their other military tech. While advanced he technology relied heavily on Dust to work with it being the one doing the work where as with Earth Technology millions were spent into just research an example would be things like the old harrier jet since a lot of research was needed to figure out how to get it to hover where as with Atlas all they needed was to stick in a crystal. That didn't mean that the technology was bad but when it came to humanity challenge bred science since humanity often had to find new ways of dealing with problems creating new things that people hadn't really imagined.

Still in a one on one fight even with huntsman he would say that the U.K could beat Atlas in a fight where as the US wouldn't even acknowledge its existence as a military before it got absolutely creamed. The robots Atlas had were all nice and pretty but Earth had armour piercing bullets a lot of fears over AI and tanks as well as nukes, fighter jets, aircraft carriers and so much more.

"You won't have to sleep outside anymore and I also have some alcohol with me to try if you want" Qrow narrowed his eyes at the kid he wasn't old enough to drink yet so why would he be able to carry alcohol with him. Then again the idea of sampling another worlds booze was a rather unique one this was not an opportunity he could miss out on plus he got to stay in a tent but the booze was infinitely better.

"Don't you think you're a bit too young to drink" Qrows eyes lingered on the wizards jackets pockets as if almost trying to force this mystery booze to come flying out and into his hand. Unfortunately for the Huntsman though this did not occur and he was stuck with his current flask that was attached to his hip and had an infinite amount due to his student's fine magical work.

"Where I come from you can legally drink from the age of five if you are in a private premises" There was a mystified look on the huntsman's face as he could only imagine the chaos that would cause he could always remember Yan and Ruby when they were kids and how often they wanted to try alcohol just because he was drinking. For a kingdom to actually allow children to drink at the age of five seemed incredibly dangerous then again the likelihood of this law being used was doubtful since most responsible parents would prefer to wait until their child was older before they introduced them to the wonders of booze.

"You people are crazy I wish we had this law it was always annoying having to wait until you were older before you could drink" The two kept moving along the old dirt path which nobody had seemingly decided to fix with an actual road to properly connect two cities something which shouldn't have been difficult. He had seen evidence for a train in Mistral and with the Grimm's nature that's should not have been easy but their way it existed and likely acted as a lifeline for some smaller towns that was connected to the railway.

"Depends on where you grow up and our two worlds are different so it would affect our respective nations culture" There was the tinniest amount of Qrow narrowing his eyes as he hard that of course Nat being Nat knew exactly why that was. Qrow and his sister Raven had been raised by bandits when they were children of course as time went on and the two went to beacon they eventually took different routes with Raven going back to lead the clan and Qrow preferring the more honest life of a Huntsman. They never really saw eye to eye any more with their being a general acceptance that they didn't consider themselves family any more.

"A bit more of a technical answer than I was expecting" Nat rolled his eyes internally he couldn't expect the man to understand Earths culture just by hearing about it and in return Nat couldn't understand Remnant's culture without living it for a while. Remnant had many differences some of which like holding no active military in a world full of monsters didn't make sense to him in the slightest.

"I was taught to consider the Political, Social, Moral, Tactical, Strategic, Military, Moral and Economic consequences of each one of my answers" Qrow blinked as he heard that, the response was unlike anything he had ever heard before. People had said to think about your actions but in the way the kid described it was like he was preparing for some kind of war against people and were planning his first move to attack someone. Qrow tried to think like Ozpin did but it wasn't him he was a huntsman a who typically did secret missions he wasn't like Ironwood who ran a government and Kingdom under his military thumb not was he Ozpin with his seemingly brilliant abilities.

"You sound like a politician" Qrow generally didn't get much time to think about politicians unlike on Earth where Democracy was the form of government in nearly every single country even if it was corrupt where people got elected Remnant wasn't like that. Councils on Remnant, worked by having a group of people chosen in secret to run a kingdom; this was instead of elections back on Earth, something that made this apparent was that there was a general mystery to the members of the ruling council.

"The world is a chaotic place having a basic way to try and understand future events is useful" Knowing the consequences of actions allowed people to predict possible outcomes of entire countries, if one could predict possible outcomes than a person could have a plan to counter act them or just ensure that a person didn't taken by too much surprise. This had been ignored by people until it made rather clear in the past decade with political decisions that nobody ever thought was possible. Some people had stated that what had happened should have been impossible of was done pure because people were "Racist" or complete utter shit like that. However if one looked at the many parameter that came with politics and from a purely neutral view than it became easier to understand why things occurred, both nature and nurture came into a person's choice when they voted politically in any direction. There were bound to be people who did vote a certain way because they were racist but it was an incredibly small group of people and the rest of the people had a more pressing concern.

By trying to determine the consequences of nations one could then use it on a smaller scale with people and try to work out why a person would act in such a way rather than just labelling them something immediately. Then again everything was subjective and the Human race had showed many traits in massive abundance and if there was one that came to mind immediately it was stubbornness. For this reason it was why he acted cautiously with what he said and did.

He recognised he would never get home and while he could sit down and panic it would achieve nothing instead he had to move forward, it was why he joined up with Qrow because he was a useful tool that could advance his goals and in return he would help the man on the odd thing. Civilization after all in the most basic of terms was built upon trade without it there would be no sense of politics of anything else, it was a basic nature of many animals trading one thing for another but humanity did it greater than any other creature that was known.

"Huh wish I had that skill would be pretty useful" Nat nodded it was useful but one had to know things about a certain object or country before they could make a prediction, whether it was how a nations economy was spread out or the geography of the nation itself it all mattered in predicting events. The same thing could be used for individuals know what they do for a living know who they work for why they do it who their family is, the more information you learned the more information a person could use to predict future outcomes.

For example Qrow had two nieces and he loved them quite dearly and so if a person wished to harm the man indirectly than action could be taken again the two nieces and the man would reacting a fairly predictable way. It was the same thing with politicians their whole job was to be more popular than the other person so it was natural to lie for them since if they didn't get elected because people didn't like them then they had failed their job. It was this point that he hated about elected positions no matter where it was since it was always about popularity rather than competency, he would rather have a person he absolutely despised in charge but be good at their job than have a person he liked in control but couldn't do shit for the life of them.

"Quite" There was nothing to really talk about as they just kept walking on the path their eyes constantly darting around the area, they were still relatively close to Mistral which explained the lack of Grimm but that was sure to change soon. As he expected an hour down the road Nat and Qrow encountered their first grim attack.

The warning was obvious as the creatures growled from in the bushes before they popped their heads out and stared at them. Qrow wasted no time in taking out his sword before than charging the creatures killing them incredibly efficiently as for Nat he simply drew the old pistol he had been given and took aim. He would not risk a close up encounter with the creatures of Grimm not with his lack of ability in a sword on the other hand a firearm required far less effort to work and could still be efficient.

For this reason he made sure that he kept himself where Qrow could see him in case he needed any assistance later that could potentially save his life. Aiming down the barrel at the first grim he squeezed the trigger multiple times allowing for the fire dust bullet to leave the barrel of the gun before it crashed into the beowolves face, it wasn't an instant kill the pistol was old and it showed with its lack of power. He prevented that from bothering him however and aimed a few more shots before firing, with ht small distance between them he was sure to hit his target and as he had guessed another bullet to the Grimm's head killed the creature before it had time to recover.

Placing his sword onto his back the huntsman watched his new student casually as he took his time aiming his shots at the last few oncoming Grimm. His aim was decent than again that was for a person who didn't utilise aura and he took his time in focusing on the target compared to his niece who cold utilise a sniper rifle while performing some incredible amounts of acrobatics. In all honesty he suspected that at his current state that in a fight without the kids magic Nat would win against Atlas's regular soldiers since they seemed to have the same amount of skill with their respective methods. This was okay if the kid had been found by Ironwood before he would then put him into a harsh school to teach him quickly but it was not good for a professional hunter to have to potentially rely on a person who at most could fight a few soldiers.

Despite this though if he worked hard Qrow was sure that he could make the kid into a decent hunter recruit; he had three years before he had to throw him into a huntsman academy, and if he was the kids tutor than the kid would be more than prepared when that time came. The academies weren't bad and neither were the combat skills but the experiences huntsman and huntresses could always recognised those who had grown up outside the kingdoms because their combat skills were typically better. Then again that was to be expected this world of their was cruel if one didn't have protection and so they were forced to learn quickly or die where as with school the worst a person would get is a few bruises perhaps a broken bone and a loss of pride. Pyrrha Nikos the kid's friend however was a different case since despite attending combat school she was an incredibly gifted individual.

"So kid what can you tell me about this Grimm" Looking at the corpses which were rapidly turning into black dust Qrow awaited his answer.

"They're called Beowolves, they're the most common form of Grimm on land and are generally rather weak, they typically hunt in packs and because of this is the Grimm that most huntsman first train against" Qrow nodded the response was likely taken out of his own knowledge as he hadn't told the kid anything about the Grimm not that he needed to when Nat could just read his mind and get all the information he could want.

"Correct, until we can get you up to scratch with your sword work though you're going to stay out of the way and only defend yourself if needed I don't want you getting killed. Now come on its a far way until we eventually hit the next town so we're going to need to swap some stories to pass the time" With that the two carried on the road as they made their way to a town that was in need of the services that only a Huntsman could provide.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 6**

Kingdom of Mistral

If there was one thing Qrow realised at this current moment it was that the problem that the small Grimm problem the town originally had was a lot worse than it had stated on the advert. The village that he and the kid had been heading towards hadn't been too far away and allowed them to arrive within only a few days however those few days seemed to be more than enough for everything to go to hell. The village was on fire and people were running and screaming in every direction that wouldn't have them killed by the attackers.

"Bandits, it has to be bandits" Narrowing his eyes Qrow was well more than use to encountering bandits, they were the scum of Remnant moving in on small towns and villages attacking looting and pillaging everything they could with a lot worse going on at other times. If that wasn't bad enough though an attack on a village had a tendency to conjure strong negative emotions like hate, fear, sadness, anger all the good stuff that Grim liked. Without doubt it was obvious that this small village wouldn't be standing come this time tomorrow even with his and the kids help.

Focusing on one of the bandits he tried to find the clan mark, most clans had one to tell people who they were of course the most feared in Mistral belonged to that of his sister Raven. That didn't mean though that there weren't other bandits groups as evidenced, he felt sorry for the poor sods who would now be left homeless. All they had wanted to do was to live a good honest life earning their money and hoping for a relatively peaceful life only for these fuckers to barge in one day and start to slaughter everybody they could see. Placing his hand on his back the man quickly grabbed his weapon keeping it in sword mode since nothing really constituted anything else than he turned to his apprentice.

"Try to keep out of trouble kid" With those words of wisdom he rushed forward clashing his blade against some generic bandits with enough force to send that bandit flying into the air. There was a small pause in the action as everybody realised what they were dealing with however instead of the bandits running away from the fully trained huntsman they instead just charged the man with their weapons. "All right which one of you fuckers are first" Like normal the man was still partly drunk to him seemingly drinking constantly which was where a lot of where the huntsman's money had went until he discovered the kid, now his wallet seemed to be more full than it ever had been in his life.

Qrow wasted no time before he took the imitative against the bandits and charged the first group who came rushing towards him, with a single broad strike he was able to bypass the bandit's swords and strike them in the chest knocking them back. Straight after wards he turned around and brought his weapon down on another bandit's sword cleaving it in half before then smashing the bandit onto the ground with enough force to crack the actual floor leaving a small crater. From there the man acted like a whirlwind as he wields his oversized sword with undeniable grace while at the same time pulling off unbelievable acrobatic manoeuvres. This included incredible leaps into the air strong punches and kicks that sent people rocketing back several metres all the meanwhile changing his weapon between shooting the gun part of it to using the blade all effortlessly.

Nat was more than aware of the bandit that had come charging towards it, this was partly due to him sensing them with magic but also due to the rather loud war cry. Now from what Nat had learned when something like this happened with a person brandishing a sword the general expected reaction was to draw his own melee weapon and engage them in a fight to the death. Instead he simply drew his pistol aimed for the bandits face and fired multiple times sending the fire dust ammunition straight into the man's aura protected body blasting them back and destroying the armour.

"Shit he got Ron"

"You bastard don't you know you're suppose to use you're sword when a person comes to fight you in close combat"

Before the three other bandits who had noticed him tried to also run at him Nat simply changed the direction of his aim and before they could scream cheater about refusing to fight with chivalry he shot them too. Once this was done he trained his dust pistol which strangely looked like an old German Luger from the world wars onto a few of the bandits that were charging Qrow even as he utterly took them out effortlessly. The only response given from Qrow to Nat was for him to motion his eyes in a different location where another bandit was located.

Apparating instantly Nat appeared before the man and placed the barrel of the gun directly to the man's skull before firing smashing down the man's aura shield and hurled the man into a wall. Remembering what he could from the odd soldier thing he had seen in movies and television the wizard turned his attention to the rooftops which weren't currently on fire to find some enemies. His choice of action proceeded well as he noticed some bandits had taken up position and were aiming their submachine guns at Qrow. Refusing to use the man who was currently useful to him Nat apparated rapidly behind each supposed sniped before shooting them in the back and taking them out of the action.

While Nat handled with the odd grunt and the would be snipers with caution Qrow who was far more used to aura and a better fighter was just pulverising wave after wave of bandits. A slash here a thrust there and the occasional gunshot to those who were running at him he was like an unstoppable fighting machine making quick work of the enemy before they could be a threat then again they were never a threat in the first place. Even with the grunts taking positions up on the buildings he would have easily defeated them, the kid just teleporting behind them only made the situation easier for him and thereby extension allowed him to be lazier. This was promptly shown as he took a swig of his drink and placed it back before than turning to the last lot of bandits who were looking at him in fear as the fact that they were against a huntsman entered their thick skulls. Before they could escape though he promptly shot them in the back forcing them to fall unconscious allowing him to look up at how his apprentice was doing.

Appearing behind one of the grunts, Nat quickly put his arm around of the bandit's throats choking him and using him as a personal shield while he pointed his pistol at the bandit. Seeing his friend in trouble the bandit did put the bandit down and raised his arms in the air as soon as he did a shot ran out as the bullet flew out of Nats gun and hit his chest followed by several others. Before the captive bandits could recognised what happened the same gun was placed against his temple where a bullet than strike him unconscious knocking out the last of the bandits. With that done Nat apparated from the roof onto the floor where he met up with Qrow in the middle of a village on fire.

"You'll have to do better than that in the future kid, can't always rely on having the attention on somebody else. Now though it's time to get out of here" With everybody else besides him and Qrow gone Nat cast a silent but powerful summoning charm soon all the weapons and dust that had been in the village flew at rapid speed towards him before then shrinking and entering his internal jacket pocket.

"Compensation" That single word brought a small smirk on Qrows face they may not have had the job that they wanted but at least they still had a way to earn some money back. And so while still surrounded by a village on fire the two of them began to walk back to the entrance at a casual pace most of which consisted of Qrow taking a last look of grimace towards the dead before then drinking some more of his drink. When that was done he looked towards the kid, like normal he was calm and wasn't showing any emotion however when they finally got into a safe location he simply watched the fire consume the village silently.

"Its a rough world here kid; not like you're nice and safe one, this kind of thing is common and if you want to be a huntsman you're going to have to get used to it very soon". If Qrow was honest the idea of a world like the kid had suggested sounded rather nice, no Grimm no evil woman who was out to conquer or destroyed the world just a lot of humans who constantly argued a lot. Of course as the kid had mentioned there was still a lot of conflict in the modern world beyond anything that the white Fang could currently achieve but generally if you were born in the right country than you were typically safe. The kid had mainly stated that the safer and less corrupt nations were what were referred to as the western world though he did also state that it didn't mean that not every country that wasn't considered a western country was a shit show just that they were the better off ones with a higher quality of life.

"I'm sure I will adjust" The fire continued to burn brighter and in the distance the two of them noticed the black creatures that were heading toward what was once a city. As Nat had learned Grimm always attacked towns and villages which had been struck by bandits killing whoever remained, still as he looked at the village he couldn't help but start to understand a bit more how life was like for the people of this world. Always in danger if you didn't live in the kingdoms, bandits and thieves were rife and if too much negative emotion began to pile up than the citizens were bound to get a visit from their local Grimm. Turning his head towards the people who were running away most with tears in their eyes as they watched their life get destroyed before their very eyes he realised that very few of these people would live for much longer.

A good chunk would be picked off by advancing Grimm especially the sick and the old as they would be abandoned and others would probably be captured by bandits and used as nothing but slaves. Those who did manage to make it to another settlement would likely starve to death since they would have little in terms of money so unless there were jobs that they could be used for than they would either be forced to beg on the streets or wander roads.

Some people he knew would likely try to risk everything they had to help these other people but ultimately they would fail and create worse problems it was for this reason why he had a dislike for idealists especially those of the moral kind. Always were they too blindsided by their moral values to see the bigger picture or to sacrifice something since in their mind it was the wrong thing to do, It was why in his personal belief that the moral people of the world should never be allowed to rule but always advise. One who ruled or was in command always had to be the ones who were willing to make the uncomfortable decisions and without any hesitation or doubt, strong and decisive as they always said. Not to mention it had been shown that during times of crisis and other things that groups of people couldn't be held together just by doing the right thing instead they needed a strong leader who while people would respect would also fear.

Some people would have offered to give these new refuges safe transit to some other settlement but the world didn't work like that there were only two types of people in the world which were the strong and the weak. In the terms of civilization it meant that the strong ruled and the weak obeyed, one didn't have to be physically strong or mentally strong they just had to have power over somebody. The most typical examples could be seen in politics and the military, in politics the politicians were stronger than the civilians because they got to make the laws forcing the civilians who were the weaker group to do what they wanted via laws. The same went with the military and their ranks which was by far the most obvious example after all if you were a higher rank than someone than you could get them to do something you wanted within certain parameters and if those parameters were broke than another set of people who outrank that person will put that original person back into place since they were stronger.

And so was the same here in Remnant but shown more in the old natural selection design, the villagers were weak and couldn't defend their village so it got burned down, now with Grimm moving in they had lost their home likely forever. In the end whether you liked it or not the people had lost and would thereby likely be killed as they fled picked off by multiple parties. The same went with Huntsmen and Huntresses they trained so that they could be strong and go on missions but if their strength wavered and just for a second they became the weak one of the group than they had lost. That didn't mean that however that only the strong survived though that was the typical belief about evolution but it wasn't always true, a person or animal or idea didn't have to be the best it just had to be good enough to survive.

He knew from watching his fellow students at Hogwarts that most people didn't care about being the best they just wanted to pass or in other words to be good enough for what they wanted to do. If they wished to be an aurora they didn't have to be the best at duelling or at tracking or even with potion making they just had to be good enough to do their job. That didn't mean though that everybody's good enough standard was the same, he had been pushed to be the best in his class and to complete so much time in so little time so that he could have his time afterwards purely to himself. He had never once tried to be the highest scoring student of all the time getting perfect marks instead he had got himself to the standard when it came to his spells that he was good enough so that he could always achieve scoring in the top ranked levels in everything he did.

However for now he would put away the philosophy; he had a tendency to think a lot about things but at this moment in time it appeared that Qrow wanted to get moving onto his newest destination. A quick look into the man's mind and he discovered that his teacher wanted to head towards another village and try to get a job there so he could earn some decent money before he ran out of cash. He had once offered to apparate the man to a nearby village but after trying out only a short distance of a few metres the man had told him never to apparate him ever again. It wasn't all bad though by walking he got to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this world; due to how dust worked, he saw something's that looked like they were from a fantasy novel like floating islands.

"Come on kid this way we should get out of here before the Grimm start catching up" Nodding his head in acceptance Nat followed the man as he jumped down the rocks one by one, he was still getting used to his enhanced body and Qrow still had a tendency to utterly humiliate him during combat practise . However he would say that he was learning and nothing was better for education than experience and if getting his ass handed to him every single day which left him in bumps cuts and grazes for a short while before he healed them up with magic was the cost of ensuring his survival than it was one he was willing to pay. On the other hand he still wondered how even when the man was utterly rat assed how he managed to beat him with a sword, it was annoying and slightly inspiring as well as frightening. After all if a drunk man pissed beyond belief could still beat him than he truly wondered what a sober Qrow could do; of course though he would have to take the bottle away from he man first and considering how much careful attention he paid to it the might be harder done than said.

"Okay kid lets have some more practise, you didn't do a bad job with your pistol but you need to be able to swing that sword of yours when you need it" After hours of walking away from the village the two of them were setting up a temporary base buy a stream, if they needed to they could fish however Qrow didn't have rods not that it really mattered when you had magic to just catch your fish.

Still with darkness fast approaching Qrow watched curiously as Nat began to move around their make shift camp with his wand out. The wizard had been doing this since their first night sleeping putting up wards as he had called them which was essentially acted like a force field expect when something entered instead of the attacker running into a wall of energy they were instead just vaporised. Suffice to say when the wizard had lured a Grimm into attacking only for it to turn into blue particles it was rather sobering but also rather relieving. Normally huntsman would have to sleep half awake when they couldn't find a town less they be found by Grimm and eaten before they could wake up and fight back.

However that was not the only advantage of having the kid as his apprentice, all ready Qrow had gathered up some fire wood and placed it in a pile. Normally one would use a small amount of fire dust to start fires however as shown by Nat as he finished one area of his camp all the wizard had to do was briefly turn his wand towards the piece of fire than a moment later a jet of light and there was a nice warm fire.

Putting up wards was rather easy for Nat due to a multitude of reasons firstly this was because he had learnt the art and it was a very vital one to learn since it prevented others from entering your room. In fact Ravenclaw's like himself were always encourage to do whatever they could to their rooms magically to make it more impressive as a show of their ability, it was like a little house culture thing. The Hufflepuffs had regular house meeting and team bonding experiences at least three times a week, the Slytherin's played their politics while Gryffindor's constantly tried to one up each other on practical subjects Finally Ravenclaw's like him were always fighting to show that they were the best academically and practically.

Often a group of students would choose another student in their year and their goal was to break though that students protections and steal something, it was considered a learning experience for both sides. The thieves had to show their ward breaking skills while the victim had to show that they could put up good wards that while not always expected to beat the thieves generally had to last a certain amount of time. Of course anything stolen was returned but it was a rather fun experience and one that could get rather competitive like the time had had applied a port key spell to his wards and dropped his would be thieves in the Great Lake. They hadn't been happy.

Now though he was incredibly thankful for these skills, he was no stranger to pulling out all nighters but there was never the risk of him being eaten alive by monsters? He was also incredibly glad that magic wasn't just combat based as some muggle's believed because it allowed him to survive in a situation like this. If he was cold he could just apply a warming charm to himself if he needed to eat than he could duplicate food and as for water he could create wine if he so wished but he wouldn't tell Qrow that fact. Man was drunk enough as it is.

As for the wards he was putting up they were very much a mix of privacy and defensive charms, these included anti sound charms preventing any noise from escaping past the wards. The same went for anti scent and anti sight wards which would prevent anyone from discovering them, however if there was to be an incident there was first a detection ward which than started a repel ward. Should a repel ward fail then he would instantly be woken up giving him time to prepare himself for a fight or apparition whichever one was required. That didn't mean that the wards were finished the first defensive barrier was the one which vaporised anything hostile into dust killing, in the case of a ranged attack than there were shield charms.

Either way they were quite safe should something occur and after twenty minutes up of creating the wards and checking that they were in good working order he walked towards the centre their little camp. When he arrived it was only a quick flick of his wand before he had conjured two decent sized tents with the appropriate equipment to sleep. This was then followed by the conjuration of a toilet stall off to the side in case they didn't want to shit in the words. Finally, he then conjured a chair for himself and Qrow to sit on before taking out the food supplies they had with them and started cooking on a conjured oven all the while Qrow looked both amused and grateful.

"You know kid you're real useful when it comes to this camp, makes me wish that I could use that hocus pocus of yours before" Leaning back on his chair as he watched the chicken cook courtesy of Nat apparating back to Mistral to buy some fresh supplies he started to think about the kid. He felt sorry for him due to his circumstance of forever losing their home never being able to see it again then again as the two of them had witnessed earlier in the day it wasn't that uncommon with Grimm. On the other hand he was sort of grateful to the kid appearing in this world, having a well trained active magic user who knew what they were doing and used a different type of magic that Salem didn't know about was incredibly useful. Of course though that left the fact that he needed not only to try and convince the kid that he should join their side but also to prove that the kid wasn't a double agent.

If the kid was genuine and he managed the kid to join them than perhaps he could tip the scales of the coming war in their favour especially with the maidens. Normally there was no one who could teach the maidens how to use their power so they became terrified of it, but with a person who had known about it ever since he was a child and came from a magical family even if that magic acted differently than the maidens then perhaps the maidens would be better off.

The kid was dangerous that was for certain it was just lucky that he found him before Salem had, she could only imagine what she would have done to him if he refused. Perhaps like Autumn he would have had his soul split in half and divided or maybe something even worse than that not that he could imagine such worse horrors. Then again the kid had quite a few tricks up his sleeve which would make it impossible for anyone to contain him for a long period of time. First of all the kid could teleport anywhere he had seen pictures of or had been than there was the actual combat magic the kid possessed. While average and still learning for a person who had only just learned to use aura and that type of fighting style, he was utterly lethal when using magic. Fast, quick, powerful and deadly accurate it was incredibly obvious that the kid had extensive training and actual combat experience fighting other magic users which was again another advantage to him and the rest of Ozpins group.

Finally and the ability that most worried Qrow was his ability to read minds and see their memories, all ready the threats were obvious. The first time they had met all the kid had to do was look into his eyes and he knew everything all the secrets all the threats and all the information he had needed to security codes or anything else. If he had been a spy for Salem than like that everything they had fought to defend would have been gone on the other hand it had and likely would prove useful. With his ability to read minds and see memories it meant that Qrow couldn't hide anything which would build up a one sided trust allowing the kid to know that he didn't have any ill intentions. Then again with only the kid knowing the secrets it made him nervous until he could be trusted since he didn't know what the kid could do.

It was for this reason alongside others why he wanted to stay away from Oz and keep his mind on the kid constantly, if he was at beacon he might have been under the eye of Oz however Oz had a school to run which took up his time. In contrast while he did have mission to complete he could keep a careful eye on the kid as well as hope to recruit him as an ally.

"So kid any more interesting stories from your planet you've mentioned this book you're writing about the second world war" Partly because he was bored out of his mind in this current location but Qrow typically found that listening to stories had a tendency to pass the time something which was needed to be a huntsman. In response he watched curiously as the kid began to summon things out of his pocket which were then brought back to their proper size and began to set themselves up. "You know kid there's no dust to power you're TV" Qrow was correct there was no dust to power the television that Nat had brought out but Nat didn't need electricity to begin with not when he had magic.

"You keep asking about the second world war so I thought I'd put a few documentaries on" Qrow blinked for a few seconds before smiling, while the kid had told him of some battles like the one of France, Stalingrad, Britain and others it was just words so to see some actual footage might be interesting. "All right kid but this tuff better not be boring or I'm changing the channel over"

Nat rolled his eyes internally as he set the equipment up, normally technology and magic didn't do too well together since magic interfered with technology until recently. It had caused a bit of a stir in the muggle raised magical communities when it was posted in the daily prophet that he had achieved the impossible of getting the two to work together. There had been new laws put in by their new minister of magic which required anyone who created a new spell or type of magic to inform the ministry. At first he thought not to but he decided quickly that he didn't want to be stuck using quills and parchment when he had a laptop that he could use.

After that though life became annoying as all the muggle raised students kept asking to either tell them how to get magic and technology to work together or if he could enchant some stuff for them. He declined every single time. The technique he had discovered was for his personal use alone, of course others hadn't accepted it and tried to bribe him or threaten him to give up either the secrets or enchant something which didn't work on his as he ignored them. Some of the teachers had tried to get him to hand over the technology or not use it since it was unfair however Professor Flitwick his head of house as well as his most favourite teacher in the world stood up for him. In fact the man even congratulated on his achievement since at the time he had no spare time since he was always doing something or other. Also while he had been training to be a duellist for quite some time before hand Flitwick had given him extra lessons since he had once been a world class duellist, due to this semi friendship he had given the man some rather generous gifts for his birthday and Christmas. However he never gave him magical technology because as much as he liked the man as a Ravenclaw he would try to work out how it was done which was something he could not allow.

The man had understood of course as Nat registered his ability as family magic something which still angered a lot of muggle raised people especially the minister of magic who had recently been talking about putting in a law which would require all family magic to be abolished. At me point such a decree would have been laughed down but with the minster killing most of the "dark" houses or traditional houses at the end of the war had left her with a lot more power to destroy the traditions of British Magical society. If such a law was passed than without doubt there would be a civil war since while conservative houses had generally accepted some of the changes and agreed with them a law which prevented family magic would be seen as an act of war. Also having seen what was happening to Western countries in the modern day of them losing their culture to ever more ridiculous values he would not give his country without a fight and if people like the minster had to die than so be it.

On the other hand now that he was on remnant he didn't have to worry about Mrs Weasley nee Granger trying to take his rights away just because she thought that he should give what he had worked for away. Instead he only had to now deal with a world of undeniable danger and was likely to erupt into a full scale civil war soon then again the civil war was more than likely to happen so he exchanged one war for another. Instead though from what he had learned he would be fighting with a man called Ozpin who was a several thousand year old person who when he died would move from host to host. This time the soul of Ozpin had merge with a man years ago and was now running Beacon.

As much as he disliked the idea of getting involved in a war which he had nothing to do with he knew that he was going to have to side with Qrow and Ozpin although he would keep that secret for a bit more to try and give him some wiggle room. The reason for this was because of Salem and her likely plans something which would rather ruin his new life on this planet, still that didn't mean he wanted to be a glorified mercenary his entire life. No this world gave some possible opportunities for the future opportunities that never would have existed back home.

It wouldn't be right away in fact it would take years to do it but with so much spare land on this planet he could create his own country. It was ambitious yes but from what he had learned none of kingdoms in Remnant were ones he would like to be a citizen off the cultures were too different well besides Vale if he had to choose it would be Vale as it was the most similar to Britain. It would require work and the right people but if he was to be trapped on this planet where he as to make a new life for himself why not go big, he wouldn't live forever and since he would be the only one besides the maidens to have magic than he had to choose another way to possibly leave his mark on this planet. He wasn't one for fame and glory he became a duellist for his own entertainment but as the heir to the Tempest family it was his job to enhance his houses position. Not to mention it could be fun and the best part was he already had a location in mind of where to begin his new country.

The island above the mainland of Vale was called Vytal and it was roughly the same size as Japan which was bigger than the British Isles, it was located in the temperate zone and didn't have any kind of meaningful population besides Grimm. Of course that was another why he was joining Qrow and Ozpin since if he could discover a way to permanently get rid of Grimm from an area with magic than it could help him create that country. Still it was a long ways off but it was something to think about and ponder as well as give him something to keep him occupied in the future after all people needed to have a hobby. Things could change though he wasn't so foolish as to believe it would be easy it was just a stray thought to keep him occupied, before he came to Remnant this desire had been to learn as much about magic as possible and then maybe write a few books but now he could never do that.

Unlike other families the Tempest library was rather small as they had only the books one could normally purchase unlike older families which had many are and powerful books or even books from other countries. As well as this his potions skill would become worthless after a certain amount of time since the magical ingredients on Earth were unlikely to appear on Remnant. Therefore besides the odd few books that he had brought with him when he was in the process of moving to Japan his magical career was over unless he could discover some of those old types of magic on his own. Also he didn't want to be hopping from place to place forever and he had read fantasy books about different nations so it was something to think about whether it was realistic or not it was something to keep his mind off his current scenario.

Still with the documentary beginning to play he relaxed and allowed himself to focus on how Qrow would react to the second world war after all it would provide entertaining.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 _Magic and Remnant_

 **Chapter 7**

Kingdom of Mistral

"Come on kid you need to defend more, you're still leaving yourself too open with your attacks if someone who knows how to fight comes along they'll fucking end you" Yet again Nat was training with Qrow as they practised constantly with one another hoping to raise his skills before he faced any real challenge something that Qrow was desperately hoping for. "You may have that fancy magic of yours but huntsman are fast if you're too slow they could slice your little twig in two" Stepping back from Qrow his sabre still in hand he could see the blade rebuild itself recovering from the damage that had been inflicted upon it.

Despite the charms that had been placed on the old sword centuries ago it was becoming rather obvious to him that the weapon had never been designed to stand against weapons from Remnant. His ancestor hadn't been anything special when it came to enchanting either and now it was really showing as the charms were starting to give way not only due to time but expedited to the sheer stress that the weapon was enduring. He knew that soon he would have to replace his sabre with something else something that was created on Remnant to withstand the amount of work that weapons had to go through.

The sabre had been given to his ancestor years after he had stopped serving in the military as a gift but it wasn't anything special. It was a standard sword one that would have come from the many blacksmiths that had served the armed services and therefore wasn't constructed out of some type of strong material. Also before now the sword had never seen real combat and it showed since while the sword was still a proper sword and not ceremonial it had only ever been used in a ceremonial sense or to train the next generation of Tempest's.

The sword was long past its prime and even with the enhancements it should be regulated to its true purpose as a ceremonial weapon, a pretty little blade to sit on a mantelpiece somewhere. After all weapons on Remnant that had not been magically enhanced were very much capable of blocking and cutting through bullets without any problems. His sword could do the same but it would place a lot of unneeded strain on his sword not to mention the fact that even with his quick reflexes that came with professional duelling he wasn't really up to speed to start deflecting bullets at a moment's notice.

"You're swords looking a little worse for wear kid" Qrow as thinking the same thing as his red focused on the chipped and blunt edge repairing itself, for a brief moment he had wondered if he was putting too much power into his attacks. Immediately after however he realised that the sword made in the other world was some cheap piece of crap at least compared to the average sword here on Remnant. "How about next town we visit we see if we can't get you something a little more suited to Remnants environment" Nat turned and nodded at the man in response his eyes just watching the blade repair itself only to be given new instructions by his trainer. "Whilst we wait you need to improve on your accuracy skills, I noticed how those bullets had a bit of an unnatural curve".

Truly with the kids performance Qrow would have wondered how the kid would have survived out in the wilderness without his magic, however even when the kid had said he was from a different world he still hand quite believed him not until the documentaries anyway. It could have all been faked; the war, the nations the armies and tactics used but if so then it was a very elaborate fake, no as strange as it sounded he very much believed that the kid had come from a strange planet that was similar yet different to Remnant.

"Are the blacksmiths here any good" With an amused expression on his face Qrow gave a slight look at the kids sabre and then to the pistol that the kid had brought out and gave a light chuckle.

"Even if they're not kid anything they can make will be far better than that piece of shit on your belt then we can have some proper training. Although, you still have a lot to learn". Nat agreed with the statement, guns while useful on Remnant were not as prevalent or in relative power to those on Earth. Small Grimm could generally take a few shots to be put down unless one had a high calibre gun whereas larger Grimm like beowolves needed something more powerful to be effective than something like a submachine gun. Earth in contrast was far easier as to shoot down an object especially since most creatures didn't have ridiculously hard skin that enabled them to fight armed humans. However since he didn't live in America he didn't possess a modern firearm of all kind and until recently had never needed to in the first place.

One other thing he had learned quickly as that most custom weapons were not only oversized compared to earth but had a lot of gimmicks. For instance Qrow scythe could also be a sword and a gun where as Pyrrha's sword could also be a spear and a gun, therefore there was a high chance that if he did get a specific weapon made that it would also be capable of turning into another weapon. Of course though besides his wand which he was not going to place into a weapon due to its fragility and the fact that it required incredibly amount of finesse control he was not particularly skilled with any other weapon.

As he quickly used his magic to summon up some targets at different ranges and taking out the pistol that Pyrrha's father had given him he started to fire the gun slowly. While this occurred he thought of the best weapons besides magic that would suit him best; firstly he had to figure out what was his preferred distance to fight an enemy. There was long range which was typically given for more accurate shooting of that belonged to snipers and more traditional rifles, there was medium range which to his knowledge was weapons that mainly consisted of assault rifles with short range owning shotguns, pistols, submachine guns and melee weapons.

He could honestly say that long range was immediately out, to his knowledge snipers took years of training that he didn't have, as for more traditional rifles like bolt action it was a choice but he didn't particularly think it was the right one for him. Medium range or assault rifles was seeming more likely , it was the middle range they had decently powerful bullets with high shooting speed and could be relatively accurate under sustained fire. Lastly pistols would be the only gun that he would use as short and more as a backup weapon as he just didn't like submachine guns nor did he like shot guns leaving him with a single option.

As for his melee weapon it was rather obvious, he would only accept a sword and going with the fact that he had trained with a sabre for his entire sword practise sessions then it was the only option he had. Plus like the pistol the sword would be a back up weapon where a person would have to get past an assault rifle and pistol first if not outright magic. That simply left the question however if he wanted the weapons to be combined like many other hunters did for simplicity or divided, soon enough he chose his answer of having them divided. Perhaps it was his more cautious nature but the scenario of him being utterly disarmed if all his weapons in one weapon worried him and could prove a liability. Not to mention even with his martial arts training there were specialists who specifically trained in that type of field that could hurt him far more than he could do to them also he didn't like the idea of trying to punch an evil Grimm bear to death.

The sabre's would be easy to get just give the armour his weapon and say to make a copy of it with the odd change here and there where as his perspective firearms would need more thought. He knew next to nothing about guns whether what bullet sizes meant or calibre or even stopping power, pretty much he knew the types of guns roughly what range they were good at roughly what guns were faster than others in firing and that was it. Anything about ammunition sizes and stuff he didn't particularly care about so long as it went bang and put a bullet into what he wanted than he would be happy. Still though after seeing the weapons that the bandits had used he would rather just find a few pictures of guns in one of the libraries he had on him and ask the armourer to make that.

Again while he had never held a modern firearm before coming to this planet he was able to tell that the guns on this planet were incredibly oversized not to mention from what else he had learned assault rifles didn't have those grip bar things. In fact besides the deigns of the guns which likely had to be so large due to their complex nature the tactics of the standard bandits had been terrible. Just rushing out guns blazing in the middle of open areas of worse just standing there yet alone a non aura trained person running at an enemy with a sword in their hand.

Seriously it was stupid and he doubted that it required a world to be constantly at war throughout the centuries for people to realise that rushing towards people with guns was a stupid idea. It was like the idiots wanted to get killed, even he had managed to learn by watching enough films that one took cover and did not go on the magical prance to the fucking rainbow land buttercups thinking that bullets would bloody miss him. The amount of sheer stupidity of his opponents was annoying, although thankfully at least for them anyway they hadn't attended the Storm Trooper School of Shooting Things. No the attackers could apparently aim it was just that they could think for shit, never wearing any type of armour, working in select groups with particular search patterns. The only thing that was missing from those bandits but something he could confirm easily is that when they missed the Storm trooper school that they had instead arrived at the Prometheus running away from things school.

However even if bandits had been somewhat competent they were still utterly outclassed by Qrow who had dipped and weaved in between opponents all the while drunk. He would honestly like to believe that in war that the soldiers from Earth could indeed deal with the Huntsman and Huntresses. There would likely be high casualties but more than likely Earth's militaries would discover how to beat them not to mention having far more powerful gadgets, he would very much like to see how huntsman and Grimm would deal with modern Main Battle Tanks.

Curiously the thing that he had noticed was that while Grimm were powerful they were susceptible to more powerful weaponry than the average Atlesian soldier or a huntsman possessed in general. Naval guns seemingly had the ability to punch straight through powerful Grimm with ruthless efficiency something that he was pretty sure that a Tank could also do with the power they possessed in that steel frame.

"Well we have the time between walking to places and you trying to find out about Salem's schemes" From Qrows memories Nat knew that the man had never seen the woman but Ozpin had been rather descriptive about the threat she posed. According to the man the woman was a Grimm looking human and not someone to be trifled with; of course Ozpin seemed incredibly concerned with the capture and near death of the Autumn Maiden.

"Yeah after Autumn Oz got real worried that the others were at risk the only problem is that we can't find them besides Autumn and well Autumn" Qrow shot a brief look at the wizard as he continued to shoot the gun the occasional shell casing popping out of the gun to load the next round before that was then popped out of the gun. "Don't suppose your magic could help with that" It was a decent question to a curious mind about magic something that a lot of people wondered when they first encountered it, can you turn a person into a frog, can magic make you rich, can magic kill but the worst and most normal, can magic bring back people from the dead.

"No, it might be possible but for something as fragile as complicated as the soul you would be looking at a master of the art one who has spent their entire lives devoted to it. I know the very occasional soul spell but it's very simple in comparison to what you've described, if I even attempted to mess with another soul in such a manner without the express purpose to kill and destroy the soul. Than that would be the result as there is no fucking chance I am knowledgeable, qualified, let alone brave enough to learn that type of magic. Not to mention with my magic I'm far more attuned to the natural order of things than you are and the idea of messing with a soul in such a way sends warning bells down my spine".

Proper soul Magic to Nat's knowledge was expressly forbidden and kept hidden to ensure that nobody used it, the most recent time a person had used soul magic in such a way was Voldermort and he had done so to split his soul. Contrary to the more moral people's belief, killing did not break or fracture the soul it was a normal thing which happened. Animals also held souls and while not as complex as a regular humans, let alone wizard's predators killed to survive and the consequences of fracturing ones soul was immense. If animals did fracture their souls so often than the world would have been buggered millions of years ago.

The soul could only be split with magic and by black magic which was specifically designed to destroy the natural world and the order of things something which Horcruxes were. Even the biggest murderers in all of history like Hitler, Stalin, Mao they all had perfectly intact souls not damaged in the slightest. In fact even Gellert Grindewald had a perfectly intact soul since despite using the killing curse which was designed to rip the soul out of a bodies person hadn't done anything to mess with his own soul in such a twisted manner.

That led to the killing curse, it had been originally designed to kill other sentient beings in duels to gain a quick victory never as a human way to kill some animals. Due to it forcibly ripping out a person's soul it was considered rather dark magic but since it didn't split or fracture said soul and left them intact the deceased person could go and meet death as the old magic tales said.

He would not try to mess with autumn's soul anymore not in the slightest in fact he would rather do his best to stay right the fuck away from her and perhaps Ozpin as well. Now unlike what some mundane people thought about sensing this it wasn't a case of the person detecting the soul but rather that of a sudden dread that was felt all over the body in its presence. Like when people suddenly shivered for no apparent reason the same was for when a wizard picked up something wrong with the natural order of things, they didn't know exactly what was wrong but whatever it was their magic was informing them to leave and run away.

"That's a shame kid could have used some knowhow, Oz is likely going to be disappointed that he can't save Autumn, he and Ironwood's likely going to find a candidate for that plan of theirs. It doesn't sit right with me transferring another person's soul to a person's body, however if it keeps the maidens out of Salem's clutches all the better."

Nat said nothing in reply, in a tactical sense he would agree with the man especially with the apparent danger that the maidens presented if turned against humanity but even so it left him incredibly uncomfortable. The Grimm he could always sense them as when they approached the feeling of discomfort increased giving him warning something that would likely do the same when he visits Bacon for the First Time. In fact he even agree with the actions that Ozpin was doing to try and prevent the enemy from getting more power however it just didn't sit right with him.

"I agree but I still think that there should be more defences around the girl" Before Qrow could respond to him likely stating of some type of answer about secrecy Nat still believed that there was far more that could be done to defend her. "In the case of an actual attack do you think Beacon would be that well defended with just Huntsman, a large attack could be used as a distraction for a smaller task force to get to her. As you've said the council controls Vales huntsmen not Ozpin, in all honesty if autumn is found the likelihood of you defending her from a proper attack is slim". Narrowing his eyes at the teenager berating him Qrow responded in the typical way, placing his trust in Ozpin and saying that everything would be all right as Oz would have a plan.

"Oz knows what he's doing, you've seen my memories" It was for exactly that reason why Nat felt he couldn't trust the man, he was manipulative if he wanted to be always ensuring that he could be put into powerful positions every time he came back to life. In that sense he was like Dumbledore a man who appeared to be innocent and kind until one discovered the truth about him. Despite this he did agree with the both men's methods.

If one put aside the morals and saw the bigger picture, than Dumbledore's actions were the right ones to take, There was no guarantee that Mr Potter would ever have become powerful enough to take on Voldermort, even if the boy had become powerful he would have required substantial training something which would not have been enough for Mr Potter as a child. Voldermort was powerful with only one wizard having both the capability and the strength to take him on and that was Dumbledore himself. The plan to have Mr Potter killed would have occurred anyway and should have Voldermort discovered the truth than he would have won leaving the magical world utterly fucked. Had he been in the dead man's place than he would have done the same since any other option would have been far too risky especially with the stakes that were being played with.

It was wrong at least morally to do what Dumbledore did to Harry but war required sacrifice and had the fortunate set events that resulted in Voldemorts death not occurred something which had been highly likely. In fact despite the shitty child that the Mr Potter had undergone Dumbledore had given the boy the ability to more appreciate his friends than others did as he had never been given them as well as mainly staying out of the boys life to let him live in bliss before it was too late. If one counted that and the likely end to the war with Voldemorts victory than Dumbledore if anything was merciful and kind by giving the boy something to enjoy rather than just turning him into an emotionless husk.

The same could be said of Ozpin, as a person who had lived for thousands of years he likely always saw things in the big picture rather than the small. As far as the man was concerned he was trying to protect humanity from Salem therefore if he had to sacrifice a few children to preserve human and Faunus life than it was nothing in comparison. Which again for the tactical value was something he agreed on, life was messy and despite how much people wanted it to be there was no black and white only shades of gray. However he perfectly understood people who went against this plan and if anybody who tried to manipulate him for the bigger picture would not have him co-operating. After all despite how powerful, important and useful Logic was, Humans and therefore Faunus still ran on instinct with one of the most powerful being survival.

"Exactly for a man who is so concerned about the importance of the vaults he's done a rather poor job of thinking tactically in how to manage them." Perhaps it was due to his planet not having Dust but if he had been Ozpin he would have tried to set up a rich company he could inherit or hide precious artefacts to be discovered. Most importantly with the modern age he would have tried to discover new ways to hide the relics the most logical if not difficult being to find way into space and then jettison the objects out never to be a threat to the planet again.

"Yeah well not all of us think that having a bunch of morons with guns is a brilliant idea kid" Qrow like usual was referring to the military holding very little faith in their ability to do something, mostly due to their very different back grounds not only personal but national they wouldn't find a compromise on this issue. Besides magic, Earth had no people of such raw fighting skill strength and power that they could be such a threat to large scale armies like Remnant had. On Earth there was always a high chance to die in a fight since no matter the skill the people dint have their aura to protect them or lessen the blow, this had resulted in large and highly capable armies being formed to deal with threats as normally it was the only method they had.

Remnant while having wars had never really had the population for constant wars not to mention the fact that besides the currently standing kingdoms all of which were located far away from one another. Their largest war in terms of scale was at the absolute most a medium sized late seventeenth early eighteenth century American revolutionary war in terms of size. They hadn't seen what an industrialised heavily populated world could do if it wanted to forcing its inhabitants to take incredibly skilled and talented fighting roles.

This didn't mean that Earth didn't like quality far from it a more qualified force was generally seen as the far stronger force and typically were only beaten when they had significant advantages against them. Things like attrition fighting during the winter when invading Russia or just sheer ridiculous numbers of troops that no matter how skilled the enemy was they just got swarmed.

Had the CCT towers been created on Earth then due to their strategic value then they would have had massive amounts of defences around them likely including fighter jets, tanks, anti air or just thousands of troops with no access to civilians unless for specific reasons. However that was Earth where anybody was suspicious for everyone else with constant conflicts in the world taking many forms. Remnant just didn't have that problem due to not only the lack of nations and those that did exist having their cores so far away from each other that there was no risk of being attacked by another nation without some kind of warning.

"A few thousand well trained and supplied men could defend the Vault with Huntsman acting as special forces to deal with more dangerous threats that arise" Now Nat had been expecting Qrow to give him a dirty look, as that type of thinking was very similar to another person he knew one he didn't get on very well within the slightest.

"Ha, and do you seriously think that jumped up thugs that have to do a silly little hand wave can really be effective in combat against something like the Grimm and Salem" Nat didn't blink as he watched the man go for his liquor expecting him to make a mistake in his rely so that he could claim victory.

"I'd trust a soldier far more than I ever would a Huntsman" Soldiers generally had a chain of command could he held responsible and while not as skilled as Huntsman they had rules and loyalties allowing for a person to work out why they were in a certain place. Of course seeing his past Nat knew that Qrow and his little set of bandits had encountered Atlas soldiers when they were younger with the result being rather bad.

"In that case why do you just fuck off over to Atlas and join Ironwood perhaps you might get a shiny medal that you can shove up that ass of yours" It was a bluff and Qrow knew it he just did not like the kids idea of doing things it wasn't the way that Ozpin would work, it was far more direct than sneaking around the place. Of course the fact was Qrow didn't want to see the kid goo off to Atlas, if he sided with Qrow than Ironwood would become more influential and dangerous especially with the kids military history videos. Also there was the fact that for the first time they had a strong capable magic user who had none of the cons of the maidens something which would be a strong boon to them and which in return they had to keep safe from Salem. However the single most important thing about not losing the kid the one thing which would ultimately screw the world over in complete and utter darkness to never recover from again. Was the fact he would lose his free infinite booze.

"I go I take the booze"

"I surrender" Like Gollum from Lord of the Rings Nat gave a silent chuckle as the huntsman's began to lovingly stroke his drinking flask holding it close to his chest while saying comfortable words. Just to ensure he had more blackmail for later just in case he promptly took out his scroll and began to record the events for a bit until the man looked up at him in shock. "Don't you mess with my booze"

"Despite their lack of skill compared to a huntsman they are generally rather capable and can do far more than a huntsman can" For all the strength of huntsman they were generally people who only fought other things where as according to Ant his sisters fiancée, Soldiers had to do far more stuff such as policing areas and working as emergency works in the occasional time of trouble. "Having watched the documentaries do you seriously believe that an army of huntsmen could have defeated any of the major nations" Nat knew he had won when Qrow didn't reply as he thought about the sheer amount of people who had fought and died in Earths second world war especially so when he saw the weapon that was used to end it.

In all honesty the idea of a weapon that powerful was unbelievable yet he had watched it and there was no joking in the narrator's tone of voice or the pictures of destruction. Briefly he had wondered with that type of firepower could Salem be destroyed once and for all in a powerful fireball but then he had promptly shoved any idea of having something that powerful built. They had no way of determining if Salem didn't have any spies in important places, if a nuclear bomb was to be created on this planet than Salem would likely not bother in the slightest with her intricate plots and just focus on building the weapons.

The result of such a weapon on Remnant even if Salem didn't have access to it would be incredibly catastrophic, Atlas without doubt would be the kingdom to develop and create such a weapon however this would destroy any notion of peace and calm in the world. Ironwood liked to show off his power and there was no way he wouldn't detonate one just to show the world what he was capable of doing. Fear would rein supreme in the aftermath the knowledge that Atlas generally seen as the most dangerous of all the nations due to its military had the ability to destroy any nation on the planet with no way to counter it. Some people had been alive during the Great War and those who had opposed Atlas would panic remembering the past thinking that Atlas would try what they did before now that they had no opposition.

"Lets leave the subject kid and get back to your training, you have to improve because if you don't than you're going to end up dead or worse captured" Nat nodded as he aimed down the sights, he hadn't liked this pistol it seemed too old and while no expert on weaponry he would prefer something a bit more modern. "You're taking too much time between your shots, you need o speed up and shoot faster in the middle of a fight you won't have the ability to just stand there and pick your targets"

Remnant was definitely a forging place to Nat and one which defiantly forced evolution in people more than Earth ever did, the only possible wars he had ever seen fighting before this world was that of a magical civil war and a western world civil war. He hadn't expected to find himself fighting for the sake of the world and having to learn and hone his skills to such a degree just so that he could stay alive and preferably not die to some hungry savage beast. Safety while exiting in this world was far less prevalent to anything he had been used to back home however he would say that the views were spectacular and with so much open land if he wanted to then far later down the years he could just find a rather nice spot and claim it as his own.

"Huh" The sound of Qrow's scroll ringing was made apparent especially as the man picked it up and answered the call not even bothering to be silent since knowing Nat as soon as he was finished he would just search his mind and get anything he wanted. That was defiantly one of the bad parts of having a wizard from another world being you're new apprentice, there was absolute no privacy he just hoped that the kid left him alone when he tried to score some fun with a nice woman. "Hello, what do you mean what's happening" With the sudden rise of panics in Qrows Voice Nat realised that this had to be major and therefore the best course of action to take was that they would soon be going to help Qrow friend in whatever they needed help with.

"Qrow the White Fang have found me, they've killed everybody else and have stolen a massive dust shipment, it's enough to cause serious problems to Mistral if it's not delivered like shut down the entire city bad. I've managed to contact the council and there's a contract out but please you have to help". The phone was cut off and Qrow responded with a few calls but there was no response and most importantly they didn't have the man's location. Turning his eyes toward the wizard he gave him a stern but respectful look.

"Change of plans kid, can you find Ryan, Nightshade" In all honesty it was his best chance his friend had sounded desperate and the nearest town was still days away for him to get it off the council job list. However the kid had the very useful ability of being able to teleport even if it was incredibly uncomfortable, though that still left the problem they could be days away from Ryan's location after teleporting.

"I'll repair your electronics later" Before Qrow could figure out what he meant Nat had dived into the Huntsman's memories getting an image of what the man had looked like. Activating his magically enhanced scroll he brought up the world map before using a point me spell while picturing the man, soon enough much to Qrows sudden understanding and delight a red dot appeared on the screen. With the huntsman mind now thinking about that location Nat was able to quickly gain a memory if Qrow with the nearest location in mind before than turning to him his arm out stretching to grab the man's arms. Then with a sudden burst of magic the two apparated.

Gunfire echoes through the sky as bullets flew into the bodies of unprotected civilians; these people had simply been going about their daily business of transporting dust to Mistral. However they had come under a sudden attack of not only gunfire but of destroying a noticeable part of the railway and in the chaos had prevented the driver from stopping sending the train careening through the air before crashing.

Most of the crew hadn't survived with the only ones who did being the aura enhanced guards who were paid to protect the train and luckily the driver who had enough sense to bail at the last moment. Ryan Nightshade was the first to take action against their white fang attackers picking up his weapon and firing back engaging the enemy the only problem was that he hadn't escaped the crash depleting his aura leaving him with a massive gash on his forehead.

He was losing blood and quickly and if he didn't see medical treatment soon he would likely die of his wounds but he dint have the luxury of waiting for help. He had managed to contact the Mistral authority informing them of the situation as was protocol and then he had went to inform Qrow, the likelihood of that drunk bird every managing to get to his position in time was doubtful but if there was one man he could trust it was him. The only problem was that with his call to Mistral he hadn't been able to help suppress the enemy allowing them to kill the other leaving him to breathe heavily as he hid behind a tree.

Keeping silent Ryan hoped desperately that there was someone to save him however all he could hear was the commands of the white fang as they moved closer to his location. They had likely tracked his blood trail and were now promptly laughing to themselves. How he hated these scum, had they not already caused enough damage to the world, it wasn't easy being Faunus in the first place however attitudes were changing and they were being accepted more than they had before. That had changed however, with the white fang now being the poster boy of Faunus opinion was turning on them and all the hard work they had done was now collapsing in on itself. There could very much be another human Faunus war if things went the way things were making it only harder on good decent working Faunus who had no problems with humanity. He still remembered Qrow the man had been surprisingly kind to him despite being raised by bandits he was the first one who had only ever treated him equally.

As such it was only really natural to call and hope to dust that the man was nearby and could help him out, the only problem was that he had no clue where the man was and even if the man was able to assist him the chances of him surviving were rather low.

"Come out you human scum, we're not going to hurt you... much" That wasn't a reassuring message for Ryan as he felt his consciousness fade, worming in the business for as long as he had he knew if that happened than he was dead. He tightened his grip on his gun, the footsteps of the White Fang fuckers approaching softly all the while teasing him of what they were going to do with his body.

"I think we should put his head on a spike and leave it in his home village inform other Faunus what happens if they betray the cause of their people and their frightful leader of Sienna Khan". Ryan's mind flashed to his life as she hissed in pain, those fuckers knew about where he lived if they knew that then they likely knew about the life he had created his wife and kids. He growled, the Likelihood of Qrow appearing was slim and the footsteps had stopped. He knew this was going to be his final moments so he might as well make it one that his kids could be proud off. He turned from the tree his gun realised although his vision had gone blurry.

"Gotcha"

Clang

Ahhh

Through his blurred eyes Ryan could barely make out the image of a tattered red cape moving swiftly through the air attached to a grey shirt and an incredibly large sword. Idly je knew that Qrow had got to him, he didn't know how it had only been a few moments since had had sent the message and there was no way that he could fly that fast. Before he could carry on thinking though his vision of the combat that the man wrought was replaced with that of the face of a far younger person a human. He tried to speak but was silenced with quick look in the kid's eyes.

Looking at Qrows friend Nat didn't waste any time, drawing his wand he cast a quick diagnostic charm on the man giving him a sort of holographic image of the man's body. The damage had been tremendous, broken bones, deep cuts, loss of blood internal bleeding and organ damage as well as injuries to the head. There was no chance he was going to risk apparating the man, with a normal healthy person they could react poorly to it so with a person as injured as this man he would simply end up killing him.

He ignored the sounds of gunfire and shouting in the background as he quickly raised a small protective barrier around the two of them to be safe just in case. Despite their job being primarily people who fought one another magical duellists more often or not were considered the best healing magical's after anyone who specifically studied it for a career. It was a necessary skill to learn since if one received a serious injury then they had either three options ignore it and keep fighting, surrender and get help or heal oneself in the middle of battle.

Duellists would never say that they were the first people who should be contacted about emergencies and they certainly weren't the ones to handle more strange magical ailments. However due to their profession when it came injuries sustained by combat than they could act as incredibly efficient first responders like the people who worked in the ambulance. It would be purely due to experience and his career why this man would survive.

Nat started with the internal bleeding first it was the most dangerous thing first unfortunately for Ryan he couldn't afford to stun him less he accidentally stop the man's heart instead he simply summoned a gag stuck it in the mans mouth and used magic to shut him up he didn't like screaming. Using very precise wand movements he focused on what he wanted to repair all the while vanishing the dirty blood out of the affected areas before healing the man's organs to a state that they could repair themselves. After that was the concussion which considering the damage was the second problem he had, there wasn't much he could do in this case as it wasn't a simple injury he would have to see a doctor but he could try to keep him relaxed by placing something over his eyes. That left the dangerous but compared to the superficial wounds of broken bones and large bloody gashes that were highly prevalent on the man's body.

The gashes was easy a few quick incantations in his head and the blood rolled back into the man's head the magic making the blood useful rather than dangerous where straight after the wound healed without a scar. That left the man's leg something he was glad that he had taught himself healing magic since most wizards couldn't so something of this complexity without training in it. Like the skin the bones according to the hologram moved back into position and began to stitch themselves together piece by piece until they were reformed. He wouldn't recommend walking until he had seen a doctor but the man would be able to walk again in fact with some good rest if the concussion wasn't bad enough than the man would be able to carry out his job. Finally with the man in a stable condition he gave a weak sunning spells knocking the man unconscious since he was no longer at risk of having his heart stop pumping blood around his body.

"Ryan" By this point Qrow had quickly dealt with all of the white fang attackers leaving them on the floor dead or not Nat couldn't tell at his point. However one thing was apparent as his tutor held tightly his friend looking at him in concern he did care for his friend very well. "Ryan" Qrow felt for a pulse, finding it he gave a big sigh of relief as he realised that the kid had knocked him out cold, probably for the first time since the kid had black mailed him into teaching him he smiled in a general sense of friendship to the kid.

"Thank you" Nat nodded.

"He'll need time to recover and for someone to look at his head, where do you want him taken" Qrow considered the best local places to take his friend, at first he thought of Mistral as that was the best place to get treatment but pushed that aside since that would draw to much attention to them. Salem had spies everywhere and with Ryan being so far away questions would be asked in how he managed to get from one side of the continent to the other.

"There's a village nearby, he should be able to stay there" Quickly getting out his wallet Qrow pulled out the last bits of cash he had and gave them to the kid as he realised that he was far faster than he could ever hope to be when it came to moving people. "Take this cash and pay the person it should look after him for a few weeks, come back once you're done immediately" Nodding Nat thanks to his enhanced magical and aura strength picked up the man keeping his head still as much as he could before apparating to the location in Qrow's mind. It was a few minutes until he returned only to see Qrows concerned face.

"He should be fine and I've wiped the woman's memory of my apparition" For the second time that day Qrow le out a big sigh before grabbing his drink holder on his side and taking a big swig as he stared at the oversized train that was still on its size. The damage done was rather obvious with its sides torn and cargo everywhere if it hadn't been crushed by the weight.

"Hey kid think you can patch this up, Mistral kinda needs the dust to keep working and it loses dust well you know Grimm" Not that he wasn't going to already but using his magic he quickly cast the repair charm and much to Qrows slight amusement he saw the train piece itself back together exactly like Gylnda did with anything something that made him smile even more as he figured now that he never had to worry about destroying stuff again. With the trains dents buffing out and all its cargo put back in one place alongside the destroyed pieces of track the train was ready to go again besides the lack of crew.

That changed soon as the sounds of large propellers flying overhead made themselves known.

"Well looks likes the cavalry has arrived" With a mocking tone Qrow watched as the large wooden ships descended to the ground with a couple of the men inside coming out armed with their assault rifles. Much to their confusion they saw that the train was in perfect condition as well as the tracks and its goods but that instantly changed when they saw the dead bodies lying on the floor alongside the obvious signs of battles.

"We just got the message and were in the area, what happened here" With a bored look Qrow gestured towards the scene in front of them but epically to the members of the white fang whom he had dispatched. Instantly with the clothing and marks on the Faunus attackers the rangers were able to figure out who had attacked them with a slow look of remorse for those who had died.

"Take a look around you" Taking another swig of his drink Nat quickly took out his scroll from behind his back hiding it from the others than using magic he quickly sent a very quick text message to Qrow before he put the scroll away.

"Excuse me, got to look at this" The Rangers nodded as they waited for the man to read his text before carrying on with their line of questioning. At the same time they didn't notice that subtly Nat had cast an illusion spell of himself to make it appear that he was still in the local area once this was done he apparated silently and cast an invisibility spell on himself.

Keep them distracted, Ill search the bodies for any clues

"What was it?" The ranger asked politely unaware that Nat was very subtly moving to each white Fang member starting with the ones behind them where he then took out the scrolls and copied all the information that they possessed before using magic looked for any valuables. This mostly took the form of dust crystals and the odd bit of cash inside, when he was finished with the back after Qrow had delayed them long enough he went for the other group and took everything he needed off the.

"Just a friend wondering about a job, I helped them out a few days ago" The Rangers nodded as they started to search the bodies taking out the scrolls that the Faunus carried unfortunately for them they didn't have magic and weren't able to just open the scrolls accounts without the correct accounts.

"Dam that makes our job harder, anyway can we see your Hunter licenses" For Qrow it was an easy job since he had been to the school and registered where as Nat wasn't still though it was rather common for many people to have no ID if they lived outside the kingdoms the only problem was that Nat had no bank account to store his funds in so he would have to rely on Qrow for money.

"My apprentice here is only new, he hasn't had the time to set up any form of ID yet, took him from Mistral a few days ago and his semblance is telekinesis and teleportation". The rangers nodded as they heard that perfectly understanding the situation since more than likely the kid had been desperate for a job but would not be able to attend the academy in the capital and so begged the man to take him along.

"I see well everything appears to be in order, I'll give the notice to the council and they'll transfer the funds over to you soon enough. Just try to get your apprentice registered next time you have the spare time" With that the rangers were seemingly happy and walked back to their airship where they would then inform the correct people of what had happened here for a more thorough investigation especially since they didn't have the ability to hold Qrow in a single location if they didn't want to.

Finally with them out the way Nat gripped Qrows arms informing him of what was about to happen and then apparated to the village he had taken his friend to get recovered at since more than likely the man would want to ensure that he was okay.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 8**

The Kingdom of Mistral

Like normal, the day started for Nat generally face first into the dirt floor after being hurled through the air courtesy of Qrows oversized sword. This was then promptly followed by the typical remarks made by the older man as he mocked his ability with a sword for being defeated so easily. He would then keep quiet get back up on his feet and prepare for another turn of having his ass handed to him while he tried to make it look not too bad. It wasn't going so well.

"You know kid, you are going to have to get better, if you faced either of my nieces, than you would have to give up to save whatever pride you had" Nat looked at the man with his calm expression not insulted in the slightest by the comment as he knew it to be true. Qrow's nieces were incredibly talented and as the man had said before would embarrass him in a fight but there were a few differences.

Firstly both his nieces were older than him so by normal standards, they would have the basic amount of experience over him. After that was the type of experience that differed between them, he was a magical duellist so that meant he was used to always engaging an enemy at range with magic. It gave him more time to think about his next action, also while he had engaged multiple skilled duellists at once, and had won easily, it was a very different type duelling where generally all that was needed was gone good strike to finish off a duel for good. This was in contrast to how hunters fought where they could take multiple strikes in after another that would have killed a wizard had they struck and shrug them off like they were nothing.

This had naturally affected not only his fighting style but also that of all people on earth as they had to be very careful with their actions. If a person was shot back on Earth depending on where it hit, that person would be dead in seconds if not straight away, whereas on here he had been shot multiple times by Qrow with far more powerful fire explosion dust bullets but he had been fine besides the pain. As such he still possessed the Earth mentality where a single strike could kill him, and was, therefore, focusing far more on defensive than he did on offence.

Then added to that, was the type of opponents he had faced compared to hunters, he as mentioned before, he had faced people at range and generally more often or not human looking targets. Akk of which was in a safe environment since the point wasn't to kill each other. They were allowed to maim and seriously injure one another but never kill although it did happen occasionally due to the magic being flung around. Compare that to hunters who were preparing to fight incredibly powerful monsters called Grimm and were expecting to die at any time and it wasn't a particularly fair comparison. Not to mention that he was still relatively new to using aura and he had even discovered what his semblance was. Qrow had only lied to the ranger the previous day to give a justifiable reason as to why the two of them had managed to teleport from one side of the continent to the other in only a few days. It was the same reason for telekinesis, neither of them wanted people digging to closely on what he could do.

As he got up yet again his sword still repairing itself since despite the enchantments he had placed on it years ago, he had never expected for the sword to ever face such high use. He was hoping, however, to get a new version of his sword soon though. One which was created with the far superior blacksmith skills than his own planet and could, therefore, resist the amount of damage that it was bound to take. Before he carried on though he noticed a very slight smile on Qrows face almost as if he was proud of him.

"I've seen your memories teaching Ruby, you had several years with her how long have you had with me, a couple of days?" At the mention of his niece, Qrow seemed to tighten his eyes at him in return. By reading his mind, Nat was able to see that the man was again annoyed that any secret he had once had was gone entirely. Oddly the thing he was more concerned about was that thought Nat was looking into his memories to spy on his niece of all things. To Nat, the idea was somewhat laughable. Qrow was starting to have feelings that since he had seen his niece and that she was only a year older than him, that he was starting to gain a crush on her or her older sibling. Qrow was entirely wrong, he had only seen the man's memories on teaching Ruby and Yang, so he could see how his techniques went and how fast people learned.

"Hey keep out of my memories or I'll have to beat you down harder okay" Qrow glared at him slightly. However, Nat decided he needed to nip this in the bud before it was too late. He couldn't afford to have the man mistrust him more than he already did by allowing him to believe that he had feelings for two people had only ever seen in memories.

"I don't have feelings for your nieces Qrow; I only looked at your memories to see your training techniques" The man continued to glare at him, Qrow was about to ask how he knew that and remembered why shutting up. By Dust did he hate that power that the kid possessed it made him wonder if Ozpin could do the exact same thing. If so, it would explain few things.

"You saying that they're not good enough for you" And like that, Nat knew he had entered the very annoying area of catch 22, he didn't care for Ruby or Yang in the slightest. He knew that they would be considered attractive by people who were interested in romance or sex but he wasn't one of those people. Romance and sex just wasted valuable time that he could use on more important things such as increasing his ability with his weapons. Not to mention, the social norm from what he had managed to understand was that when people were around his age, that dating people in a higher or lower school year was considered wrong.

"I don't care for romance Qrow you're nieces are quite safe from me, it's others that you will have to be concerned about". Thankfully for Nat, that has sorted out the problem and got his teacher to back off although he did chuckle slightly, and Nat knew exactly why as he had seen the man's memories.

"Not interested in romance, oh come on kid, you're young this is the perfect time to find a girl and have fun. When you become a hunter you'll be moving around a lot so you need to find some way of entertaining yourself and having some nice lady friends is the best way to do it" Just as Nat had expected, Qrow couldn't really grasp the idea of not being interested in people and preferring to stick to themselves. Then again, the man was considered handsome and he had what was considered a bad boy charm no doubt in his past and even now he had women rushing to him.

"I prefer the solitary life" Qrow looked down at Nat as if he had said the most offensive thing that he could all the while he placed his open hands in front of him and began to mock him again. It wouldn't work, it never did.

"Oh look out everybody here's the one angel kid the one who doesn't like to drink or have romantic partners all he wants to do is sit down and read a quiet book somewhere" At this moment Nat realised that he wasn't going to get any more training done because Qrow had drooped to the ground and was kicking the air as he lay on his back laughing as hard as he could. To rectify, the problem since he wanted to get on with the rest of his day he drew his wand and before Qrow knew what had happened he was doused in freezing cold arctic temperature waters.

"Fuck" It was somewhat funny to watch the man leap several metres into the air like he was a puffed up kitten soaked to the bottom before he crashed to the floor again gripping his body shivering. Then like a puffed up kitten, he looked at Nat in utter betrayal not believing that the kid had just done what he had to stop the conversation.

"If you're quite finished, don't you have a friend to attend to" Qrow glared at him but Nat didn't care since if the man as going to be more focused on taking the piss and not train him than he would treat the man in the same respect. However he knew he couldn't exactly do too much to piss the man off, he needed his assistance and with the things he knew especially about Ozpin it was smarter to stay with him so that he could keep an eye on what was happening. Essentially it was the "Keep your allies close and your enemies closer" strategy.

For all, he knew if he did wipe Qrow's memories, than Ozpin may be able to detect that he had messed with the man's mind and start to hunt him down. It was also for that reason why he wasn't just popping into the man's office all of a sudden and going through his mind. He didn't know what the man was capable off or how truly powerful he was, but even then he was leaning towards the theory that the man would be able to beat him in a fight without any problems.

After all, Ozpin had centuries if not millennia of magical experience, not to mention the fact that he was the one who had created the maidens. Going by the very brief memories Qrow had of when he had seen Autumn fight, they were somewhat powerful although he couldn't be sure. Bolts of lightning and fireballs were all well and good, but magic, where he was from, was far more diversified and could accomplish more than anything a maiden could achieve from what he had seen. Again going by the very limited amount of power from what he had seen, a seventh-year magical student could beat a maiden.

If the maiden used fire than there was a flame freezing charm which would take away one of her elements entirely, the same went for other elements. Magic was very much a tool and had many spells which while not offensive in nature and had been designed for other purposes could be used just as effectively. Take for instance the water repelling charm, it was created to repel rivers from bursting or floods from occurring however in a fight it would repel and any piece of water from touching them.

According to some historians, the very first types of magic to be created were very much elemental magic's and this dated back to cavemen times to help them survive b giving important resources. As time went along, magic like humanity became more sophisticated to suit the purposes needed that were needed. Spells to transform one thing to another started to arise from this as did duplication charms alongside animation charms. Most recently he was a very prime example of magic having to evolve of getting it to work with technology all of which pointed to one thing, that magic like other things, evolved.

However, he didn't know how magic on this planet worked and as such he didn't know how powerful it was or what it could do. But going by Qrow's memories, Ozpin was rather powerful to actively create something like the maidens as well as give Qrow and Raven the ability of animations. To his knowledge, he couldn't remember a single time where a magical had ever actively given a person the ability to give a non-magical the capabilities of magic even if it was incredibly limited.

Finally, there was the fact that when the man died his soul transferred hosts until it eventually took over their entire body like some kind of parasite. To him, it was black magic, to similar to what Voldemort had nearly done and the thought made him want to find the most desolate and as far away as a possible place from the old man and hide for the rest of his life. However he needed to know, it was too dangerous not to know what the man was capable off and how much of a threat he was to him personally.

By the sounds of things, magic was even rarer on this planet than back on Earth, this would likely make him some kind of bright glowing lighthouse in the middle of a pitch-black area no matter how much he tried to hide his magic. If Ozpin was the one who was able to pick and choose his next host than there was a good chance that he may choose him due to his magic and physical characteristics.

As a wizard, he was a naturally physical superior being to other human or Faunus and he meant that in a factual way. Wizards were entirely immune to muggle diseases such as cancer, HIV, allergies all that annoying stuff was taken completely out of the picture. Then there was the case of his magical core which constantly replenished his magic acting exactly like an extra muscle that only needed time to recover after substantial use. According to Qrow memories, the man's powers were dwindling so the possible ability to have his power replenish could seem like a very attractive one. Not to mention the fact that if the man got a hold of the magical knowledge he knew that he could possibly add it to his own repertoire and perhaps use things like Horcruxes to keep himself even safer. He would also have possibly a lot longer in his body than that of anyone else since magical allowed him to live for longer and kept him young and more physically fit. Dumbledore had been over a hundred when he had fought Voldemort and had he not been killed could have probably lasted for a lot longer. Even so, if Ozpin had access to his memories than he might try to explore the wonders of alchemy and create a philosophers stone to keep him alive for longer. The fact of the matter is that he was the ultimate host Ozpin could ever likely dream of having.

What was worse was that Nat knew he had to learn more since it was vital for his own survival. He was no longer just some talented duellist from an unknown family, he was now likely one of the few magical's on the planet which made him a target forcing him to choose a side. Not that it was a hard choice to make, he had serious doubts and worries about Ozpin, but the only other side he had was joining the fucking Grimm. And he had already seen and felt the presence of the weaker Grimm, so there was no chance that he would help them.

What he had to do was learn as much as he could about Ozpin, perhaps he could make it seem like he was a valuable ally or that some of his concerns about the man especially about the new host thing were unfounded. There was some evidence that Ozpin would not be capable of using him as a host, one of which was the fact that the maiden powers passed to the last young female they had thought about. Not to mention that perhaps since he had never been born onto this planet, that he didn't have a strong enough connection to allow such a thing.

Whatever happened in the future though, he would have to plan around it and if needed permanently deal with Ozpin if he became a threat? Defender of the world he may be, but he would not allow some old man to use him like some pawn. He wasn't Potter.

I haven't thanked you for that have I" Turning his gaze to his tutor he saw Qrow smiling every so slightly at the fact that he hadn't just lost a friend. Had he not been with Qrow, than Ryan would have been killed and Mistral would have likely entered some type of panic that could have caused doom.

"I'm your apprentice, I wouldn't be much good if I can't save one person's life" With a small wave of his wand, Qrows appearance went from messy to clean with his dirty and soaked clothes becoming dry and clean again. In response, the man took a drink from his flask as he pointed his way towards where his friend was currently laying down in a bed as he recovered and gestured for his apprentice to follow him.

"Well you might be good for something after all" Following the man's lead, the two of them quickly made their way through the town giving polite gestures to the people inside. A few of the children looked at Qrow excitedly recognising that he was a hunter and therefore in their younger minds, he was a hero that they aspired to be like. Those children who hadn't spotted the hunter were pretending to be hunters as they fought each other with toy swords playing their little fantasies, it reminded Nat of the few castles he had visited and all the children that were located there having a fun time.

Soon enough, they entered a small house, it wasn't anything special but it was obvious by the smells of antiseptic and other objects that were used with medicines that this was the house of the doctor. As he walked in, Nat noticed three beds on the right side of the wall, two of which were empty while the third was taken up with Qrows friend who at this point had finally awoken and was looking at them with a small amount of relief.

"Qrow" Upon hearing his name called out the hunter walked over to the man and sat on the chair looking at him cautiously all the while Nat sat on the other side and opened up his scroll. He hadn't had much time to organise the information he had gained from the White Fangs scrolls as Qrow had been training him, even more, to try and work off the stress he had. Due to still needing to increase his level of skill with weaponry Nat accepted although he knew that he could leave the information unsorted less the rangers to discover any important news before they did.

"You look like crap" Ryan grinned as he sat up his back leaning against the headrest as he took in his surroundings. First, the man who had managed to rescue him from being killed and secondly the young kid that by some chance had managed to stabilize him long enough so that he could walk him over to the village for treatment.

"Yeah well, I still look better than you" Ryan chuckled as he saw Qrow look at him concernedly, more than likely trying to see if there were any holes where they shouldn't be.

"How ya feeling, those white fang bastards got ya good didn't they" There was yet another chuckle from Ryan as he felt his bandaged head a brief flash of him hitting the train when it had gone hurling due to the explosion. Still, the train security guard smiled as he realised that he was alive and as such wouldn't have to worry about leaving his wife and kids in such a poor condition. He had heard from Qrow what happened to children when they lost their parents and he didn't want that for his or his wife.

"Better I guess but the Doc said it's going to be a while before I can go home with my head and all" Qrow smiled again seemingly relieved that Ryan was feeling better than he had hoped and as such gave yet another slight smile to his apprentice as a thank you for what he had done. "However I'm not to sure, because I must have banged my head worse than I thought since swore I saw some kind with you like he was your apprentice" With a quick glance to his side again, Ryan was able to confirm that there was indeed a child sitting quietly as he tapped away on the screen supposedly trying to work something out.

"Well, you weren't wrong Ry. The kid's name is Nat" Ryan widened his eyes as he looked at the kid properly taking in his appearance studying him as much as he could before turning to Qrow slightly disbelievingly. For a few moments, Ryan said nothing all the while his face acted like Qrow had been lying to him and that there was no way that this young kid was his apprentice. To make sure he wasn't crazy or worse that Qrow wasn't crazy and hadn't just kidnapped some random kid off the street he asked a few questions.

"Are you sure Qrow? I mean teaching in Signals one thing. But to bring one of your students and by the looks of it one of your worse students into the woods is pretty harsh isn't it. No offence kid" Nat wasn't offended by the statement and could easily understand where the man was coming from. Due to their training, Huntsman had an uncanny knack for working out the power of their opponent and Nat just wasn't a powerful person. When it came to magic he wasn't considered particularly impressive either, but that was because he hid his ability to make his enemies underestimate him. However, that wasn't the case here since he just didn't have the knowledge on how to hide his sword stance as it hadn't been too difficult making it easy for enemies to pick him out as weak.

"He was never my student, just some orphan kid who did me a huge favour so I'm doing the same" Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly at the kid. For a person who didn't project strength or seem that skilled to be taken on by Qrow meant that he had given Qrow an incredibly large favour if he was being trained by the man.

"Do tell" Ryan grinned at Qrow wondering what kind of crazy story would have to be given for the man to agree to take someone like the kid on. Qrow for his part, however, did his best to not look like a deer stuck in the headlights as he tried to form an excuse thankfully his apprentice came to his rescue rather quickly.

"He was drunk and fallen into a shady gambling ring. He lost all his cash and at the same time, the owner of the establishment was getting pissed with me winning constantly. When the owner had enough he tried to kill me, Qrow intervened and saved me, In return, I managed to get his money back before the place burned to the ground. Apparently, Qrow felt bad enough for him to take me on as an apprentice, although I did have to persuade him while he was heavily intoxicated, I even made him sign a contract".

Ryan burst out laughing as he looked at Qrow and then on the kid, engulfed in so much laughter that he didn't notice Qrow looking at Nat slightly annoyed at their cover story. Instead, he was forced to look down in mock shame as Ryan looked at him and burst into more laughter, imagining the scenario in his head which only made it funnier.

"So you got swindled, by a fucking kid. Hahahaha that's fucking hilarious, How much did you drink Qrow" Gripping the headboard suddenly as he felt his head begin to ache again Ryan looked at the kid with a larger amount of respect now that he had known why he was with a bird named hunter. Of course what the utter hadn't noticed was that ever so subtly Nat has cast a compulsion charm on the man making him believe the story even if it didn't sound entirely plausible.

"Well you got my respect kid, if you were able to do that this drunk old bird, then you're probably going to be a great huntsman" Ryan then proceeded to pull Qrow's head don't o his own smiling more much to Qrows annoyance as he gave an expression of non-amusement to his apprentice who simply had returned to the scroll he was tapping quietly away to. "Oh yeah that reminds me Qrow, how did you get here so fast." Unlike the last question which required a somewhat believable lie this one Qrow knew he could easily sort of tell the truth.

"Kids semblance is teleportation" Like before Ryans eyes lit up as he realised just how lucky he had been, had the man he contacted not just apprenticed a kid with teleportation than he would have been very much dead never to see his family again. Of course in his wounded state, he wasn't aware of the small amounts of magic being used on him to keep his mind from clouding on other questions such as the sheer convenience of such a thing.

"Ha, lucky you. Now you get to go anywhere you want in the world, my kids would love if I had that power. They keep pestering me to take them to Vale one day, do you think you could lend your apprentice to me" Returning the smile back at the wounded man, Qrow shook his head.

"Sorry Ry, the kid has far more things to learn so I can't allow him any time off until he's good enough to enter Beacon" Ryan's eyes fluttered quickly as he looked at the kid and then at Qrow not entirely believing what Qrow had told him. After all, Qrow was talking about training a person that was probably only fourteen and had the skills of someone younger into a person who could enter Beacon Academy.

"Are you sure Qrow, I know experience is far better than some dusty old school but you're just going to wander around with him everywhere you go. What about your nieces and Tai" Again Qrow grinned somewhat evilly as he glanced at his apprentice and gave his intentions out to his friend.

"Oh He's behind now but I intend that by the time he turns fifteen that he should be good enough to enter". Again Nat was met with an incredulous look from Ryan. The huntsman was seriously doubting Qrows ability to train his apprentice to such a state within only a year as the new students would be starting soon.

"I'll take your word for it then, however, can we talk later My heads starting to hurt again" Qrow smiled gently as he allowed his old friend the time to heal from his ordeal. Before Ryan or Qrow knew what had happened, however, a beam of scarlet impacted his chest knocking him out cold. Going on hunter mode, Qrow was slightly surprised when he was confronted with his apprentice putting his wand away in the hidden wand holster.

"He'll heal faster if he's asleep, not to mention he won't feel any pain" Sighing at the excuse, Qrow moved his hand away from his blade and leaned back in his chair gazing at his apprentice as he continued at his work. Before he could speak though, Nat interrupted having read his mind, something which again was really starting to annoy Qrow. "Your friend didn't know anything, He hadn't been involved with anything to do with the White Fang or that lot."

"Dam, do you have any idea what they're up to the kid. You've been tapping away on that scroll now for a while" Qrow watched as the young teenager looked him in his eyes the dull purple revealing no emotion or thoughts, Briefly Qrow admitted it was a good skill to have on the other hand he wasn't a very fun person being more like Glynda but with less anger in his tone.

"There are no notes of what their mission was, however with a bit of magic I was able to track back to where it had been previously and all three are from the same place." Qrows eyes widened as he understood what was being said to him, a look of understanding on his face. Nat believed that he had either located a base of operations for these White Fang members or if not, then he had found a place which had been frequented where they could get more clues on their attackers.

"You have magic for that type of thing?"

"It's a more moderns pell designed to reveal the secrets of something. Normally it couldn't be used on an electrical object however as I've enchanted my scroll and have all the information from the other scrolls, I've been able to confirm the tracking location features on the scrolls to get a destination". Qrow nodded in acceptance not really understanding how magic worked but was smart enough to understand that his apprentice did know what he was doing.

"What's the catch" Having been in the hunting business for a long time Qrow always knew that there had to be something else and as Nat opened up a map of the local area Qrow frowned heavily. "Raven" Qrow muttered, Raven and the clan regularly moved to stay away from Grimm, however, Qrow was always able to keep track of them through numerous contacts which gave him an exact spot.

"Your sister is incredibly close to the White Fang base, more than likely she would have attacked it already when the group was gone and quickly left. The chances of us finding anything of any value are low and that's not mentioning the risks there area by going near that place. There could be anything and Merlin Know's Atlas has been sticking their heads into other people's kingdoms. An attack like this is going to go public soon and when that happens, Atlas will be crawling all over the place"

Narrowing his eyes at the news even further Qrow looked at the location of the supposed White Fang base and his apprentice a strong look of doubt on his face. Even if the White Fang thing was just a false lead, he couldn't afford to miss it and allow Atlas to get their hands on things and potentially ruin any of Ozpins plans. On the other hand, if they went there was a chance that he might have to fight his own sister for whatever was there. If it was just him on his own, then he wouldn't be worried but there would also be the rest of the clan and he wasn't sure of how much use his apprentice would be in a fight.

Nat wasn't up to the standard that in a fight with conventional weapons that he could even hold his own for a brief amount of time, especially if he went against Raven. Against the average White Fang member then Nat likely could win, the wizard wasn't bad for a swordsman who was just using aura and most White Fang or Clan members only had their auras unlocked. That didn't mean that they knew how to use it. But still it was a very dangerous game if he went ahead, the risks would be high and the reward was unknown, yet still, he couldn't afford to let an opportunity like this to go past.

"All right kid can you get us there" Nat racked through Qrows memories of the closest place that the man had been before concentrating on it. Putting his scroll away, the wizard than extended his hand out in a motion for the bird's man to take it something that the man did as he prepared his weapon. With that done the two apparated leaving the area where they had just been entirely empty of their presence.

"This is the closest I can get you, the rest we're going to have to walk" Qrow nodded briefly before he looked at the teenager and then at the sky as he told him of his plan.

"I'm', going to scout the area, just try to stay safe kid and if you run into Raven stay the hell away if you want to live" And like that, the huntsman known as Qrow turned into the shape of a qrow with menacing looking red eyes and black feathered wings, he promptly launched himself into the sky and flew away leaving his apprentice to follow silently below.

It wasn't long before Qrow found something amiss, it was a small cave entrance, rock and barren however as he turned back into his human form and felt the ground a sticky substance was left on his fingers. The substance was blood and going by the heat it was very recent indicating that some kind of battle had taken place recently. All that he had to do now, was find out whose blood it was and why was it here, he only hoped it wasn't Ravens.

"Wheres, that kid when you need him" A flash of white light emanated above him, turning around Qrow saw that his apprentice seemed perfectly fine except now there was a glowing ball of white light hovering above their heads. Something Qrow rather liked as it meant that his back up could now actually use a weapon instead of just having to be a torchbearer.

"Nice one kid, although at times like these, makes me wish I was a Faunus. Having the ability to see in the dark would be really useful for the two of us delving into a cave". Nat didn't reply instead he took up position behind Qrow, currently, he had his pistol out as his main weapon and was moving slowly as peered around every corner expecting to come across someone or more likely something.

It wasn't long before the two of them found their first person, it was a member of the white fang and they were very much dead from a rather visible bullet wound. The mask of the terrorist still masked their face but it wouldn't do the person any good as the chances of remaining in this cave and not being eaten alive by any Grimm were small. As they ventured ever more inwards they started to notice more and more corpses, it started with White Fang members, but every so often the non-uniform tattered clothes wrapped around an individual showed them to be a bandit.

"Looks like you were right, Ravens been here we need to hurry and find out anything before she does" Just like before Qrow transformed himself into a bird and flew off using his extra speed to quickly navigate the tunnels up ahead. In case though that he should find a Grimm or anything else, Qrow was more than prepared to turn back into a human kill the threat and carry on leaving his apprentice an easier time to make his way through.

Soon enough as Qrow continued to race in the underground passages he began to hear the typical sound of gunfire in the distance, speeding up his pace, even more, he was able to quickly reach the scene in front of him.

It was a slaughter, multiple white fang members lay dead on the floor, and the others were all backed against the wall of some type of cavern-like animals as they fired on the leader of the bandits. Qrow focused his attention on Raven. The woman was rapidly slicing her way through White Fang Member after white fang member, her long blade easily carving through the flesh of her opponents with quick and easy strikes. Her opponents had stood no chance against her.

Behind Raven were multiple sets of holographic computers as his apprentice was calling them, all of which had members of Raven's clan working desperately more than likely trying to get any information from them. He frowned as he waited for his apprentice, there was no way he could take on Raven and the clan by himself, but it was also doubtful that it could hold his own against every single member of the clan besides Raven. Still, he needed any information that the White Fang may have on Salem badly, and there was no chance that he was going to let it slide.

Suddenly he felt a light tap on his shoulder, instantly he went to cleave whatever had snuck up behind him in two worried that it may be a Grimm. He stopped suddenly though as he noticed that his apprentice had just caught up more than likely using teleportation to get around. Quickly underneath multiple privacy charms, Qrow relayed his plan quickly hoping to get in and stop things before Raven ruined things.

"You take out the clan and get the information, I'll try and rescue the guards" Nodding, Nat followed Qrows plans. Apparating he appeared behind the one clan member who was furthest out and underneath an invisibility and sound-silencing spell, he drew his gun and pointed it squarely at the back of the man's head. Pulling the trigger multiple time's the man flopped to the ground as his aura was depleted and the concussion knocked him out cold. With no sound made, however, it left him entirely free to move onto the next clan's man who was desperately typing at a computer and repeated the process gaining the same results as the first person he had attacked.

Nat moved quickly as he took advantage of the clan member's distractions as they desperately tried to get the information off the White Fang computers. In fact, the clan was so engrossed in their work that they didn't even notice when the people next to them collapsed. Once he was done dispatching hackers he, in turn, copied all the information on the computers all the while he kept a close eye on Qrow's situation as it all kicked off.

Glaring behind her mast, Raven lopped the head off another white fang member, the group had been foolish enough to attack them believing that they were powerful enough to destroy their clan. They were very much wrong, however, with a White Fang cam being stationed so close to them, it gave her the perfect opportunity to get some useful information on the terrorists that she could use. Plus any information would give her a leg up on her competition especially with Ozpin and Qrow, she could only imagine what she could get her brother to do if she was able to use any potential information as blackmail for the two. Advancing on the next member, she brought her blade down but instead of the deer Faunus being split in two, she was met with a loud clan and a very familiar pair of red eyes.

"Qrow" Raven yelled angrily as she saw who had stopped her sword swing, behind her she hears her clan pointing their weapons at her but most importantly she heard the slight sound of electricity. "What are you here for, did Ozpin send you?" Her voice was loud and demanding.

"What can't I check in with my sister every now and again" Qrow smirked at his sister imaging what her eyes were doing behind that Grimm mask that was supposed to make her look scary. Then again with so many white fang members it just made her look like one of them although a leader of the group not that it mattered as he deflected her sword away. Soon enough blades would start swinging.

"We're not family Qrow not after you abandoned us" Qrows eyes darted towards the short-haired woman behind Raven, lightning crackled around her fingers almost dancing as if it was some kind of supernatural power. Then again it more than likely was which meant that she was the Spring Maiden, it was a useful fact and one that he could report to Ozpin when he got back to Vale.

"Looks like you have a new friend?" The woman smirked confidently raising her hand up to give Qrow a better look at her sparking fingertips as if that was too impressive compared to what the kid had done. "Nice light show but can you do anything it" The woman glared at the insult to her abilities, she walked up annoyance shining in her eyes before facing Raven silently asking for permission to take him out.

"Why are you here Qrow?" With his eyes flickering momentarily towards where the computers were located, Qrow knew that since the other clan members were nowhere to be seen than that could only mean that Nat had done his side of the job well. Hopefully, if things turned bad that he could help him out, especially when it came to the Spring maiden who was looking ever more like that she wanted to barbeque him with electricity.

"A friend of mine was attacked by these guys, I tracked them back here to find you and the rest. Now what I want is to know why they attacked him" Raven eyed him carefully as it trying to see if he was lying. With her brother descending to stick around and help Ozpin it was very likely that he had been sent to gather the Spring Maiden, something which now put her at danger since if Qrow was able to report back there could be serious trouble if the Atlas military got involved.

"Look around you Qrow, this is our prize, not yours. The stuff on those scrolls" Raven froze as she turned around only to see that where there should have been members of her clan busily working way, there was now nothing. The red eyes hardened as she saw her brother sig, obviously, he had been distracting her so that somebody else could deal with the rest of the clan.

"Hey, kid a little help" Before Raven knew what happened a burst of bright light blinded everybody in the cave their hands in reflex trying to cover their eyes and then within moments it disappeared. Carrying on with her attack Raven's sword sliced through nothing but thin air however what was even worse forcing her to scream his name in anger was that in those brief few seconds of blindness all the white fang members and their scrolls had vanished.

"Nice save kid although do we have to do that teleporting thing" Holding his stomach to make sure it was still there, Qroq focused back on the person who had just gotten him out of a difficult situation and was now seemingly interrogating the white fang members as he stared deeply into their eyes. After a few moments well before the white fang, members were able to understand what had occurred, they were knocked out by magical rope tied them up

"I think I might have a lead but I'll take these guys to the local jail now" Qrow didn't object, instead he simply headed for the bar as he walked into the town they had been at where Ryan was healing He had just found the spring maiden and Ozpin would like to know. For now, however, he would take a small break thankful that he hadn't had to fight his sister although with what had just happened, he had likely made her made so she would try to track him down. When that happened she would very much try to take the Kid away. The only place he could think off was Vacuo and wait until things had calmed down a bit. Raven had the ability to him to fly and therefore cover vast distances, but the kid could jump from one side of the planet to the other in seconds which would instantly throw of their tracks. With them in Vacuo, it would make it harder for Raven.

There were far fewer towns and villages to raid in a dessert and even if they did decide to relocate to track them than it would still require time for them to pack up their equipment. Yet with how Raven's semblance worked, it wouldn't be easy to keep out ruining her, he just hoped that the kid had the ability to teleport more than his sister if things got really serious. Either way, it looked like he would be in Vacuo for a while.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 9**

The Kingdom of Vacuo

If there was one way to describe the Kingdom of Vacuo Nat thought, then the word that came to mind was hot. He had only felt it for the briefest moment before his clothing's enchantments recognised the difference and got to work, cooling him down in the harsh morning g sun. He and Qrow had waited explicitly for the time in Vacuo to become daylight rather than apparating straight away and appearing when it was freezing.

Personally, he would say that he already disliked the Kingdom already, not because of the people since he hadn't met any yet he and Qrow had only just appeared in an alley. But rather he despised the geography of the place, large sun blasting sandy desserts. He had visited many countries around the world on Earth for his duelling tournaments; however, he could honestly say that he had never visited a nation that was located in either Africa or the Middle East. To his knowledge, the Middle East was considered the most hostile place in the world to wizards with all who were either born there moving as fast as they could or being killed due to how they were born. As for any wizard who visited the region, they always made sure to have some backup and be very prepared for encountering hostile muggles. The days of the ancient kingdoms were long since gone, as was the British Empire.

With the United Kingdom being one of only three countries where the muggles knew about magic it had been able to put in some safety for magical's who wanted to do research or live in the area as they knew the muggles would be able to keep the peace. However with the loss of the empire, magical's very quickly retreated from the area with only the bravest daring to venture into such hostile land. Africa was somewhat better for magical's, there were still communities living all over the continent but they weren't a very sizeable group, there was only one magical school in the entire continent. Even then though, most magical's were located in the only magical hotspot of the country which was Egypt.

The reason why this was important was that due to such a very small amount of magical's in either of the two areas, as well as incredibly hostile beliefs towards them, there was never any attempt to host such magical events just in case. In fact, 7/10 magical events were always organised or held in Europe with America's, Far East Asia consisting of Japan, China and Korea as well as either Australia or New Zealand occasionally hosting something. This meant that all of Nats time abroad had been in countries that were green in general; in fact, it was the first time he was seeing a place with so much sand in person, the only other time he had seen something like this was through pictures online.

Therefore as the first thing, he did after feeling the sun seemingly try to pierce his eyes and cook them alive, was to summon up a pair of sunglasses and fit them around his face allowing him to see properly and not cover the constantly. He then kept his face calm as he felt some grains of sand slip through his lips and lip into his throat. It was official he hated this place already and would ensure to spend as little time here before he could apparate back somewhere nicer, where there was green and water. Not some desolate place with no sense of order or civilization.

"I hate that" Qrow shook the sand grains off his shoulders as he came to his full height and began to quickly search around the alley for anyone who might try to rob them. While a person was accepted if they could survive in his place, it didn't mean that there weren't a large number of thieves to take peoples belongings since the number of recourses was scarce. He would have to make sure that he kept his Lien on him al tall time and under close guard, as well as ensure that the kid didn't get into any fights. Mistral may have the occasional one but that was more often or not in a bar, on contrast with Vacuo fights were seen as a symbol of strength in many things whether it be to purchase things or not. It made the Citizens of Vacuo more talented in average combat, not enough to take on a huntsman but between a fight of a regular Vacuo against a regular Vale person than the Vacuo person would win. "Come on this way, and try to stay out of trouble".

Nat nodded as he kept his hand close to the handle of his sword, there had been very few places that he had visited where he actively felt like he needed a weapon to feel safe. This was one of them; It only made his opinion of the kingdom drop even lower. Still the streets of Vacuo were unlike anything he had seen before in real life and reminded him far more of one of the games that his sister's fiancée use to play. Along the beaten down dirt paths were small wooden stalls, their wares were located on top. Occasionally, there was a stall which had some type of fabric that went above them which acted to block some of the suns ray's, in other places the mainly yellow buildings that had seemingly been built of sandstone had people leaning against them as they slept quietly.

Yet just as he had learned and seen in Qrows memories, the signs of a more brash people came to mind, weapons were located everywhere and the people had toughened faces that came with the harsh environment of this type of weather. What only enhanced the view of this country is like Africa or the Middle East, the only two places he could really say were anything like this place was the very light and thin clothing the people were wearing. T-shirts, shorts, skirts anything that allowed more skin to be revealed was readily apparent allowing the people to cool off easier. Something that made him stand out a bit even more as a foreigner.

British people were not known for their ability to tan, like him they were rather light-skinned something which came naturally with their foggy wet island located off the coast of France. So as one would expect, with his rather pale complexion that had no sight of tan on it and thicker clothing that was more suited to where he was from even with the magical enhancements, they began to take notice. Thankfully this notice only took the form of some amused but also slightly confused looks as he didn't seem to be struggling whatsoever with his dark clothing whereas Qrow, in contrast, was already starting to sweat slightly.

He already knew where the Huntsman wanted to take him, apparently, the man wanted to take him to a blacksmith he knew, it was to get him some actual weapons as Qrow had said. Nat only wondered why he could have taken him to one of the Weaponsmiths in Mistral as he knew a lot of them since when a huntsman travelled the globe, they had a tendency to make contacts of which were blacksmiths to help repair their weapons. Nat only hoped that the friend Qrow had in mind was a person who could actually do their job well, he didn't want some piece of crap and he certainly didn't wasn't some type of complex sword gun combo thing. It placed too many eggs in one basket and with his lack of training with an actual weapon, it meant he had to go for things that would be easier to train to use and had a good amount of range.

Still, in all honesty, he would like a few courses on firearms; he had heard the word's like Calibre, thrown around when he had heard his sister fiancé talk but he didn't understand any of it. Had he read the man's mind then perhaps, but he didn't in respect for his sister, then again firearms wasn't a basic thing taught in education unless one was in nations armed services or had parents who lived with such weapons at home. All the info he knew was incredibly basic and if someone asked him what was a 50 calibre rifle that he couldn't give any sort of answer besides maybe it was powerful as it ad a big number. Weaponry really wasn't his thing, the magic he excelled as he was a prodigy and had graduated early but weaponry was something he had a feeling that he would never be the best huntsman or huntress in the world like that of Qrow or his sister Raven. Perhaps he might become better than average for a huntsman, but it just wasn't his thing to fight directly with weaponry.

Still, as he continued to walk over the beaten dark sand pathways his eyes constantly scanning around him to try and pick out and possible pickpockets, he recognised that he would have to get into a proper fight with weaponry eventually. The odd piece of magic could be used occasionally in public, but he would have to limit it. Sooner or later one of Salem's spies would take notice of Qrow and by extension him as he would be following the man, any mention of him being an apprentice to the man, would likely mean that Salem of one of her goons could possibly try to kidnap him as a hostage. Not that it would work, the apparition was rather a useful thing allowing him to escape any scenario that he found himself in, with his immediate future fighting Grimm, bandit, Salem and likely other things, having a way out of conflict would likely save his life. But that didn't mean it was unbeatable, Raven had a very limited form of apparition but as it was linked to certain people that he had to ensure that he wasn't marked by the woman less he is constantly tracked.

While all this occurred though, he shot occasional glances at Shade academy, standing proud and tall the structure seeming cast a shadow onto all of its local surroundings. It appeared to be a mix of multiple old Mayan temple's backs on Earth, each creating a new level while also being guarded like a castle with its battlements alongside the occasional pieces of greenery such as palm trees and flowers. Now that he thought about it a little more his analysis changed slightly, the building seemed far more like an even older type of building one of old myth where many people tried to locate. It was similar to how he imagined the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to look. Compared to the rest of this sand torn kingdom, Shade Academy was the one somewhat impressive if not out of place building with all its splendour, compared to the cracked broken sandstone hovels of structures that the residents of this place called home.

It was certainly a place he would be avoiding in the future and definitely not the kingdom he would choose to defend if he had an option of doing so. His mind went back to attention as he looked at the sights going on in vacuo, there were people arguing over something in a very loud and brash way making what would have been a disturbance either back home or in any of the other kingdoms. But not here, not in this kingdom, respect came from surviving in the environment. It wasn't something he would ever get, nor did he care. If he used magic to keep himself cool to ensure that he could do normal things rather than endure the heat than so be it, he wasn't a fool and afraid to use his power. And neither would he get involved in a fight with someone just because of a few words or because the heat was affecting them.

Soon though after a bit of a silent walk between him and the Huntsman, they approached the building where Qrow's friend was located. It was easy to find with the great big chimney stuck out the front allowing the grey smoke to come out of what was sure to be a hot building, Qrow didn't hesitate the open the slightly battered wooden door and walked inside followed by him.

The inside of the shop was exactly like how he had imagined it to be, multiple sets of mainly light looking armour were located around the edges of the room mainly consisting of shoulder guards, greaves, and chainmail. With the intense heat, heavy armour would be more of a hindrance than a help as it would warm the body up ridiculously quickly. Next to the armour, however, were weapons of multiple types and designs all of which likely had different purposes.

Most of these weapons had dust already located in their structures, fire and wind seemed the most favourite, however from what he had gathered about Remnant, Fire dust as the most popular and used for its many purposes. Whether it was for the actual ignition of ammunition, or to be the payload of the bullet., Fire dust was used a lot in combat not to mention in other things such as vehicles, cooking, machines or other. The people of Remnant used to dust for everything, something that made perfect sense as it had been what was in plenty of abundances. The material was what had allowed this world to have such incredible leaps in technological prowess in such short timeframes.

Earth had always had to use different materials for all sorts of things during the years, in the beginning, ti had been things like coal for heating, it was abundant and acted as a good fuel source. Yet despite this, it couldn't solve every problem such as being used for weaponry. Unlike fire dust which had always had explosive capabilities, Earth had to wait until some Chinese alchemists who were planning on creating an immortality potion accidentally created a blasting powder. Then the Mongols used it and brought it to the west, who with some time perfected the art of explosives and then used it against its original creators. Something that was incredibly ironic, The East was the ones who have the West the power it needed to rule the world for so long. That didn't mean that the west wouldn't have eventually figured out how to make gunpowder, but it wouldn't have been on the search for immortality. The alchemists there had a bit more of an idea what was needed in that field.

Remnant, however, didn't have to use different materials for all sorts of uses and, learn how to make them even more efficient, they had always had dust to do their purposes for them. If they needed a material that was powerful enough to act as gunpowder than simply turn fire dust into powder. It was an advantage allowing the civilizations to develop quicker as essentially they had a material that could do so many purposes, yet it was an incredible weakness. Already the entire Kingdom of Atlas had run out of dust forcing them to look overseas for the material, destroying everything they needed to.

Earth had the same problems too, but there were many differences, Earth did not rely on a single finite material for every single thing in their lives. Oil was valuable but so was natural gas, but solar, wind, water and nuclear energy had also been developed. Earth would run out of resources with its massive population, yet it also showed the fact that despite the huge disparity in population sizes Earth was more sustainable in recourses than Remnant. But when the dust ran out something by the sound of was going to happen by the lack of resources left in vacuo, then there would be even more conflict over what few remaining dust supplies there were. And currently in such a war Atlas who was by far the most dust using people in the nation would win.

It was why he still believed the current politicians of this world besides Atlas to be incredibly foolish with their lack of defence spending. The kingdoms didn't need any type of military to the scale of the United States where they could fight all around the world at a moment's notice, but they had to be able to defend themselves from not only Grimm but also from war. Even if the kingdoms moved to brand new recourses like oil and natural gas, there would be a large amount of time before they could effectively modify equipment, and whoever owed those new resources would have Atlas's military on their doorstep.

"Qrow" Nat was aware of the people at the counter as he thought about the current situation of things, he had a tendency to do it as his sister said, apparently, he could go entirely off the track onto different subjects. For now, though he focused on the person who had just called out the bird mans name.

The blacksmith was likely in her mid-thirties, incredibly tanned skin and powerful muscles that matched those of a person who was in her profession. She wore a stained white apron over mostly dark clothes with one of those spark helmet things attached to her face. Her dark black hair was tied in a ponytail, while her brown eyes seemed to have some kind of amusement as she saw Qrow before turning to him turning slightly to both curiosity and amusement. "Qrow, you seemed to have one of those pale Atlas fuckers following you" With his relatively pale skin, Nat knew he did look like he came from the northern kingdom especially as he didn't seem to possess the graceful movements of those who came from Mistral and people who came from Vale had a slightly darker shade to them, which to his knowledge was that more similar to that of Spain, Italy or Greece.

"Really?" With the man's playful tone, it was obvious that he meant exactly what the woman meant, yet he still seemed to turn around so that he was facing the wizard before chuckling. "Nah Angie this kid's from Vytal." Upon hearing the name of the central island located on the world map, the blacksmith nodded slightly, she still wasn't entirely too sure that the kid wasn't some Atlas fucker here to try and take advantage of her or other people in vacuo. They had enough problems with the terrain that Atlas had screwed up than to start a full-on fight with what could potentially be some cry-baby from her northern nation who might get sympathy from his people getting their council to sanction vacuo.

"I can assure you that I am from nowhere near Atlas, nor do I have any decent from them, I was just naturally born a little paler than most people" Angie seemed to accept this information slightly, yet the sort of professional way he spoke didn't settle her entirely. Still, se returned her attention the veteran huntsman who was smirking slightly at the scene before taking a sip of some of the alcohol he had in his flask.

"Okay Qrow why is there a pipsqueak following you." Again there was a small chuckle from Qrow as he watched the strong woman rake her eyes all over his young apprentice, sizing him up and seeing what he was capable of doing. Finally, her eyes landed on the two visible weapons that he had on him, the sabre and the pistol both of which she gave a slight look of disgust too as she noted the supposed quality of the weapons. "And why on earth does the pipsqueak have weapons made of such shit. I mean the pistol's old enough as it is, it created just after the Great War and that sabre of his, who the hell made it, some backwater blacksmith why didn't even know their craft, ha pathetic. Here kid put your weapons down and let me have a proper look at those piles of shit you call weapons"

Nat decided to follow the woman's instructions and place them in front of the woman laying them gently on the desk before she snatched them up starting with the pistol first.

"Well the kids my apprentice, was doing a mission for his village when bandits came in and killed everyone. The kid here at the time was showing me where to go, when we got back I thought I'd take him with me for a bit at least until he can defend himself" It was a practised excuse, one that Nat and Qrow had practised a few times to ensured that they had a concurrent story that would explain the kids lack of skill's at least in the beginning anyway. Not to mention if they both got interviewed and gave different stories then it would look very bad.

"I see, then this is the crap that you had with you. This thing couldn't kill a Beowulf if you tried let alone a bandit. The guns not been taken care of well and the ammunition is shoddy. As for your sword, it's in better shape but the craftsmanship is terrible, some useless blacksmith who just picked up a hammer for the first time I bet. Still, it hs a somewhat sharp edge and is of more use to you than the gun. However, personally, I would throw these pieces of crap away and get a real weapon especially if you're going to become a hunter". Angie smiled suddenly as she glanced towards Qrow and then towards the things that his apprentice had brought in and then towards the apprentice himself a smile on her lips.

"I was hoping that you could outfit the kid with some better weaponry" Upon hearing that Angie's eyes lit up with a small amount of excitement as she stepped out from behind the counter and walked straight over to the kid looking at him even more closely as she tried to figure out everything that she could. The kid from what she could tell had definitely seen battle before, and he was muscled enough to know martial arts but she could tell that he defiantly did not have much experience with firearms and his swords skills while acceptable weren't as good as they should be. She was able to tell this by the shape of his arms, they had some muscle to them, not to the level of a blacksmith like her, or to that of a well-trained fighter like Qrow or people in the huntsman academies yet they were still refined, more likely use to a lighter weapon.

"So tell me what you want kid, a sword spear and pistol combination, or perhaps a lance mixed in with a rifle. Anything you want I can make for you, of course, though considering your body type I would suggest for something less heavy like a sword rather than a mace.". Upon looking at the woman Nat began to start his order, which compared to what a normal person would spend, was a very large order.

"Multiple actually"Angie's eyes brightened even further and Qrow began to already feel his wallet getting lighter, it was a good job that they had already picked up the reward from the job the previous day in Mistral and that the kid could give him infinite booze.

"First, two sabres like that I gave you except for the guard to be symmetrical on both sides as well as the symbol to be replaced with my own. After that, I would like an assault rifle" Despite his calm tone, Angie who having seen the boy's previous armament had an idea that the kid didn't know much about firearms and would, therefore, have to ask many questions about how he wanted his weapon to be.

"Okay first a few points, do you want the rifle to be traditional or Bullpup, How many types of fire patterns, what calibre, what types of scope, as well as what types of attachment and what types of ammunition do you think you're going to use?" Upon not having an immediate answer, Angie began to explain what each thing meant starting with the bullpup and the advantages and disadvantages that it had. After that came the talk on fire patterns, such as one shot, three shots or fully automatic, Then there were talks about different types of scope and how far they could zoom in onto a target, after that was the talks about attachments such as lasers grenade launcher attachments and torches before finally discussing how different types of ammunition could affect the guns performance. As for Calibre that essentially was the size of the bullet from what he had gathered. Briefly, he thought about trying to use an image of a gun from back home before realising it would be useless so he gave his answer.

"I guess bullpup, the most powerful calibre, both a short and a long range scope if possible, single triple and fully automatic types of fire. A torch, laser, grenade launcher, foregrip, flash hider, silencer, information screen, and all the ammunition types that you have". As he spoke, Angie could just feel the pain and misery emanating from Qrow, custom built weapons from blacksmiths were expensive especially when they were firearms due to the amount of complex work that was needed. A regular assault rifle would cost far less, but a weapon made for Huntsman were of far higher quality and far more power due to the jobs that they needed to do.

"IS there anything else you would like" Nat nodded as he began to give out the other things he wanted to order, of which there were quite a few weapons he needed to get. This included a set of two more powerful pistols which also had attachments, a set of two daggers just in case, some grenades, as well as a utility belt to hold everything in and some holsters for his new pistols that would go on his side. Besides that though, he had his symbol added to each one before leaving a detailed set of strange symbols that the blacksmith had never seen before to be engraved into the weapons, with different weapons having different thing. These engravings could be done by any muggle but would need magic to activate making the weapons even stronger such as not overheating, or never running out of ammo.

"Come on kid it's time to leave" Qrow was in a slight downer mood after the sheer amount he had to fork over for the weapons to be produced, it had been a rather expensive day, yet he allowed the expensive purpose, because ultimately the kid was the one who had allowed him to get the reward in the first place. And if he was stuck with an untrained kid who he had to teach for the foreseeable future, then he would rather the kid have decent weapons to defend himself.

"Come back in three days, it's going to take me some time to create these weapons" Nat would admit that he knew very little when it came to the art of weapon-smithing, yet the idea of the woman being able to produce so many weapons seemed quickly was strange. Then again, what he considered normal was based on Earth where only magic could achieve such a feat, who was to say that the woman would not be able to create so many weapons in such a short time period. For now, though his concerns lay beyond the sandstone walls of the blacksmith and back into the busy crowded streets of vacuo.

Their next stop on their list was at a nearby tavern, as it seemed likely that they would be staying in vacuo until his weapons were made, that meant that Qrow would wish to pursue the small amount of information he had managed to work out from the days previous. It wasn't much and would take him more time to work out the rest of the info, he had to rely on some very fine magic to sort his problems out as he didn't have the necessary IT skills to start hacking equipment. Either way though, he had managed to find some sort of mention of an Atlas spy in Vacuo who was providing some useful information to the White Fang.

"So kid what do you have?" Nat sat down on one of the beds as he pulled out his scroll and began to look through the information he was searching for, then bringing it up so that Qrow could see a potential target. Their target was a woman from Atlas, like most of the natural inhabitants of the northern frozen tundra, her skin was rather pale matching her eyes and hair as she possessed a slightly icy yellow to each. Of course though now that she was located in Vacuo which was the complete opposite of Atlas she seemed rather out of place even with her Atlas robot guard dogs.

"Miss Alisha Honey, she's an informant for the White Fang, she passes info on dust convoys to the terrorists. Also from time to time, she gives out free dust handouts to the White Fang, uses poor children as scapegoats so if they caught the kids get arrested in her place" Turning his eyes towards the holographic image, Qrow began to list some of ht other facts that were stated about the woman although one defiantly caught his attention.

"She's human? Last time I checked kid Atlas hate's the White Fang" It was definitely true, from what Nat had managed to gather about the four kingdoms, Atlas was considered the most racist towards Faunus then followed by Mistral than by Vale and then by Vacuo. In contrast, Menagerie would be considered the most racist towards human, and while the current rulers of that island had long since left the group before it became violent, there was more than likely a strong anti-human sentiment. "I don't see anyone putting a possible sympathiser in such a position".

"According to the White Fang reports, She has a son. She didn't want him to live in Atlas due to how it is there and she couldn't risk just leaving him alone in some nursery on a different continent so she gave the kid to the White Fang for protection in return for information. According to this, the White Fang occasionally send pictures to her of her son to ensure that not only she continues to work, but also to use her as a possible case study for anyone else who might want to work with the Fang". The rest of the information on the woman indicated that besides her secret little affair with a Faunus that she had met, the woman was considered one of the best Alas agents in Vacuo. Able to raise the amount of dust harvested and generally respected as a woman due to her firm but fair treatment of her staff. As for what her real views were on the situation, he didn't know.

"They've set up a job, a lot of Grimm appearing around one of the lesser mines. She's offering a job to anyone who will clear them out if we do the job than we might get an audience with the young woman" Nat wouldn't say that the woman was exactly young, she was in her mid-thirties and had a child. Yet Qrow was looking at the woman's holographic figure with a look of approval indicating what he would like to do with her if events had been different.

"Or, you could fly around scout out the area from above, come back and give me the memories where I use my magic to bypass every single security device and get a p[personal meeting with the woman. We would save time as well as the possible risk of having the bounty stolen out from under us". A small grin crept along Qrows face as he hard that, normally the routine was to gain the trust of people since he had to be subtle in his approaches, doing jobs and spend weeks looking aimlessly for things or even interrogating people. With the wizard though, everything was shortened into a condensed timeline. Scout out the area teleport inside and have their meeting and then wipe the woman's memories if they wished.

"Then let's do it that, but can we do it tomorrow, I'm feeling a little thirsty after making that order and did you see some of the girls down there." Nat rolled his eyes internally, but he knew what was unspoken. He and Qrow had just arrived from Mistral which was the other side of the world far quicker than it should have been possible, as such if there were any of Salem's spies than they would be incredibly concerned with what just happened. Not to mention, they had escaped from Raven in that cave where they had gotten the information from. There was no way to know if the woman would pursue them or not, He had a feeling that the woman would want to, but with the woman likely suspecting that there was someone else involved with Qrow than she might be more cautious in her approach. Although Qrow now knew about the spring maiden and therefore in hopes of stopping him from reporting to Ozpin might head towards Vale in hopes of ambushing him with the spring maiden and the clan.

So for now, they would wait a bit of time, at least until they waited to see if Raven would pursue them immediately, something which would hamper their upcoming mission. After all having a crazy barbarian woman appear out of nowhere in what was likely to be a secured Atlas Facility would take away the meaning of subtle and raise alarms. Not to mention, Qrow was supposed to be being as silent as possible with his investigations, as such, they couldn't do anything too major that would draw attention. Added to this, there was an unspoken arrangement between them, with his ability to reads minds, he could easily scout put any possible spies something which would become incredibly handy for the Huntsman as it could prevent information being leaked back to the Queen of Grimm. As for the girls and booze though, well he wasn't interested in the slightest and would allow the man to have it all so long as he got time to finish his book.

"Do you want to but food or should I cook again " Qrow grinned happily at him instantly telling the wizard that he expected him to continue cooking their meals. With the help of magic, Nat didn't need any sort of tools as magic could do everything to the food and since it was also done by magic the food had a far better taste to it than average food. Although, handmade food, if done by masters, would taste better, still it was better than what Qrow as used to and cheaper as magic meant he only had to buy limited ingredients.

"Hey, kid I actually have someone I need to talk to here, So go do your own thing, and if you run into any trouble, kick their ass". Nat made an instant note to promptly ignore that comment if he was to get into trouble than violence would be his last answer, even if violence was common in Vacuo a fight was bound to draw attention, something he wasn't too fond of getting. "Oh yeah, and kid, once you finish, come back here and enjoy yourself, maybe even call that girlfriend of yours" And of course he went back to bloody Pyrrha again.

"She isn't my girlfriend Qrow" The response he was given back, was to as expected as one would guess, a large smirk on his face like he was actually embarrassing the wizard like a parent did to their child. Of course, he was wrong, besides the time he had first met Qrow, he had never once spoken to the man about Mistral's champion. Instead, when he received the phone call from her every day he would find somewhere quiet and have the phone conversation with the girl as he was doing on a ridiculous basis.

Ring

Speaking of the devil, picking up his scroll he saw Qrows grin grow even wider when he saw the callers id and then walked off while mentioning that he should say hello on the huntsman's behalf. As for him though, he answered the phone and went to the nearest empty alleyway he could find before then appearing back to the safety of the hotel room so he could hear more about how the girl was doing.

"Hello Pyrrha, how are you doing" According to his knowledge, Pyrrha would still be over Mistral. This was due to the fact that unlike, Atlas or Vale which used more modern machines to transport people through the air, Mistral still used its propeller wooden zeppelin things. Still, nothing beat a plane, unless the trip was really long distance such as London to Canberra, then most trips would only be a few hours. Even then though for a trip the same length as London to Canberra, it would take weeks before they arrived. It was the reason for such the long trip, Pyrrha would have to take the ridiculously long Mistral air travel to the edge of the continent before she could hop on a ride with a faster Vale transport. It was all about protectionist politics, Mistral didn't want to harm their own air transport business as they didn't have the ability to seriously upgrade yet.

"Oh just fine, it's a little boring seeing sky for so often, but it is a nice view though. How are you doing" He could hear the pleasant tone of Pyrrha as she replied. She was always like this, excited to have a friend to talk to as she made her way over to her new school all the while, he had arrived in Vacuo not even an hour ago although it was getting close.

"Well, we're still in Mistral, stopped by a small town on our way to pick up supplies as for now though we're moving north apparently some beowolves are causing a scene". There was no way of knowing what type of information could be tracked through the wireless systems of the Cross Continental transmit system, however, if Salem or one of her cronies was listening in, then it would be best if he gave out false information to confuse them. With the ability to teleport, it gave him and Qrow some extra time to get things done if anyone tracking them tried first in Mistral going by their last known position when they were actually half the world away in Vacuo.

"That's good, be careful though."There was some silence as Pyrrha said that likely imagining how he would do against such creatures in his new apprenticeship under a man he had called Henry Grass, it was a codename, but considering the importance of their missions, they couldn't exactly go around spouting their names just in case they did run into any of Salem's goons.

"I will be Pyrrha, and as you've said in three years I will arrive at Beacon and you can give me help as the older student" There was a slight chuckle at Pyrrha's end as she just imagined her looking far older in her twenties to come across an older Nathanael to had likely spent three years in the wilderness fighting Grimm. Of course what was far more likely, was that in a few months when Qrow eventually had to report back in person to Ozpin is that he would run into the girl and her team.

"Well make sure you get better than, with how you were you need to improve if you want we could always share videos with each other to help with your training" It wouldn't entirely be a bad idea, Nat thought. Pyrrha was a great warrior and when she arrived at Beacon she would more than likely improve drastically yet Qrow was an incredibly experienced Huntsman and before that, he was a bandit and therefore had killed people, as such he had more experience in fighting for his life. Plus if he tries some stuff that Pyrrha would teach him during possible training than Qrow would likely call it tripe stating that it was stuff only novices to actual combat did.

"Thanks for the offer Pyrrha, but you need to focus on your studies and making friends. Beacon is likely to be harder than the past school not to mention, you're bound to find someone you like and if you keep giving me lessons they're bound to get jealous, so just enjoy your time there while you can and if I'm ever in Vale we can meet up and talk" Nat seriously hoped he didn't end up in Vale anytime soon, having to talk to the girl every day as she had no one else to speak too was becoming a chore but one he ultimately did as it could give important information on how things were going in that kingdom. With Ozpin being the headmaster of the school there was bound to be some kind of action that went on at the school that could be relayed to Qrow, something that was important.

Although, there was a good chance that later on he would have to stop his calls to the girl, since when he was eventually recognised as Qrow's companion by Salem and the others than they would try to wiretap him for any information. In that case, though, he had already managed to place some detection magic into the device to warn him if he was being tracked or listened to. It was also for that reason why he was not being as adventurous as Qrow was in the city.

He could use as many illusion charms as he wished, but eventually, someone would realise that the man had a companion with him and report that to the relevant people. Instead, if he stayed entirely out of sight by staying away from the man in public such as what he was doing now by staying in the hotel room than he gained less attention. Invisibility was another option, but with things like different types of semblance, there was no way of knowing if there was anyone who could see through it. Or he could always bump into him and have it revealed, if that happened then there would be even more suspicious about a teenager sneaking around highly populated areas entirely invisible. Plus there was the more important and relevant fact that he just plain didn't like Vacuo,

He was looking forward more to visiting either Vale or Atlas, the first one because it seemed the most like home like most western European countries, minus the centuries of bloody warfare, occupation, religious zealots and far more. As for Atlas, it made him think of Scandinavia mixed with upper-class U.S.A and either South Korea or Japan for their reliance on robots to do their dirty work. Plus it had the only active military and he was curious to see how it acted and behaved compared to Earths military although considering what little he had learned from Qrow about Ironwood it seemed far stricter in terms of regulation. He was no expert on military protocol but he was pretty sure that Western Militaries didn't execute their soldiers for mistakes in the modern era.

There were a few tales from ex Atlas soldiers about how their fellows had been executed for not following a direct order, this had come from being too tired to follow it or for some other reason. Nothing that put men's lives at risk or anything too major but still to be executed was something he thought would happen and certainly not something that would ever happen in the U.K. Capital punishment had been made illegal for decades, nobody was given execution as punishment yet alone soldiers who while they might face serious jail time, would never face a firing squad. Something that was slightly ironic as he was a person in favour of bringing capital punishment back, but only for the most serious crimes like treason, definitely not for refusing to follow a direct order.

If there was one thing about this world, their peace came at a surprisingly high cost of their current social issues, racism definitely did exist still in modern day but it certainly wasn't to the point that Faunus were treated. It made him think of the U.S before the civil rights music. Although, he wasn't too informed on the subject as it had only been a very small amount of the work he had to do for his exams. Still, he knew the basics of the time and according to Qrow, there was still segregation in places like Atlas,

If Faunus came to earth then they were bound to still experience racism, but in western nations, it would likely be far less than they did now. Not to mention certain people would very much enjoy having Faunus around due to their weird fetishes. He was still very new to the community but he had managed to pick up on some things, and people with cat ears would likely find themselves with many humans stalking them due to their extra appendages. And if they had existed on Earth since the beginning, then the cat Faunus likely would have been hailed as gods to the ancient Egyptians.

He personally didn't have a problem with Faunus, from what he had seen they were exactly like humans besides the extra appendage, the people he despised were those who came from the Abrahamic religions, goblins and other certain creatures. Not to mention Faunus did have the advantage of night vision as well as other enhanced senses depending on their extra anatomy. Thos who had an extra pair of ears could likely hear more frequencies of noise, as well as hear better whereas a person with wings could fly. Not to mention the fact that he also wasn't human, wizards' and witches whatever way a person looked at it, were physically superior to humans due to their magic. Enhanced physical attributes as well as longer lives, the ability to see things that muggle's couldn't, immune to disease, the ability to actually use magic and other things. Here though on Remnant, he was simply another human who happened to look like he was from Atlas and therefore should stay away from, more populated Faunus locations as not to draw attention to himself of Qrow.

"Do you actually think, I'll make friends there" Back onto the subject of the girl's phone call, Nat tried to give some encouragement to the girl. With any luck, if the girl did make friends at Beacon, then he wouldn't have to have the constant phone calls that came every day. Once every few days were fine to keep him up to date with the information he needed, but every day and it was becoming a hassle.

"Sure, just remember to stand up for yourself, Most people will already know you and form their opinions of that info, there's not much you can do about that. You're best bet, is when you introduce yourself to do so like you were speaking to me, walk up to say hello in a normal non-nervous way and began to speak about normal things like the weather or food. If a person recognises you and asks questions, answer quickly with short responses as well as try to direct the conversation away, if it doesn't work than pretend you have a phone call or something and walk away". Why was he giving advice on how to make friends to a girl, he had never once had a friend in his life, the only thing he was going off was the teaching his father had given him to enter conversation with a person if needed or do what his sister had told him. He wasn't exactly the person to give friendship advice.

"Thanks, hopefully, it goes well" Nat doubted that the girl wouldn't find friends, unlike him who had no desire for friends she, in fact, did and with her being older she was bound to find someone who she could spend her time with. Plus there was the fact that he had seen how Ozpin did student training, something which required sticking the students in permanent teams all through their school life. If Pyrrha didn't make friends with her future teammates than she would be in for a very hard time at the school.

However it still made him wonder just how close Ozpin wanted the teammates to be, he was placing multiple teenagers into a single room that depending on the team layout could be mixed sex. Having been in Ravenclaw, he was used to a private bedroom, the sheer idea of sharing a bedroom with other people his age with no sense of privacy that even the Gryffindor's had with the curtains that went around their beds didn't sit right with him. With Qrow's memories to guide him, he knew that teammates generally would know what one another looked like beneath their clothes forcing a sense of trust. Yet there was bound to be a lot of awkwardness between partners in the beginning days. As such whoever, the girl was partnered with could possibly start having romantic feelings with Pyrrha if not more lustful thoughts.

The conversation between the two of them lasted for about half an hour until Pyrrha was called away to handle something, as for him he continued to type incredibly quickly the rest of his book. Remnant's history was nowhere near as bloody as Earths and their major battles in the Great War was nothing compared to something like Stalingrad, D-Day or Okinawa. If he ever did publish the books, then it would be interesting to see how the world would react. Then again, there was also a possible disaster if he stated exactly how Japan came to surrender.

If his books gave people inspiration to see if they could actually create an atomic bomb that he might as well sign the entire planet away and be responsible for its utter destruction. There was no nuclear war on Earth because each side knew that as soon as one was used, that the entire world was fucked and everybody would die. However Salem wanted that exactly, what would she care if millions of Grimm died, according to Ozpin her only goal was to destroy humanity in its entirety, all that was stopping her was the lack of powerful enough weapons to do so.

He was very much walking a tightrope being on this planet, he didn't have the knowledge on how to create nuclear weapons, but he did know that they could be created and therefore somebody could use the very basic information he had on certain technologies to try and replicate them on Remnant. Nuclear bombs were the most dangerous things he could think off, but there were also Intercontinental ballistic missiles, whether they had a nuclear bomb attached to it or not if a kingdom had the capacity to strike other kingdoms without fear of retribution than it would shift the balance of power yet again.

Things like nukes in his opinion did help keep the peace between major nations but only if both sides had them if only Russia had nuclear weapons than it could use them whenever they wanted as nobody would be able to stop them. As for disarmament it also wouldn't work because when a war broke out what was to stop a nation trying to build nukes to get an advantage over another. Agreements between nations on wartime rules could easily be ignored, there had been agreement not use gas in the first world war, or to limit the power of battleships between the two wars which was also ignored.

Regulating nations was far harder than citizens of a nation and the reason for it, was that there had to be a power stronger than them that would be both feared and respected that could force certain things. Gun control in his home country could be enforced because not only was there a general agreement between people that the average citizen had no need for a firearm but also because there was a police force that could handle anyone who disobeyed the law.

But to do something like that to a nation just couldn't happen, The U.S was the most powerful nation on the planet currently, while other nations were also powerful as well there was no nation which could truly threaten the actual land of its citizens without nuclear weapons which were pointless since if that happened than anyone lost. The U.N didn't have the power in any way imaginable to enforce any rules on the U.S and the only way the U.S would be any major trouble would be if the rest of the world would turn against them, something that wouldn't happen unless something drastic happened.

The same thing would happen on Remnant, if Atlas got a hold of nukes then with their current leadership, there was no chance that they would allow any other nation to gain the same amount of power as it could threaten them. And if Salem got her hands on nukes then the war was already lost with no way to fight against them.

If there was one thing he had to do on this world, it was to ensure that nuclear weapons or other such weapons weren't developed and therefore could not be used against the citizens of this planet. As for right now though, he would wait until Qrow had finished his task of gathering some information with a friend at some other bar. Although knowing that man, he wouldn't be surprised if the Hunter tried to find someone to sleep with while he was there. The man would be considered attractive enough and with being a hunter it made him seem dangerous, as for him an apprentice would likely ruin his reputation and stop that from happening. So long as he allowed the man to do what he wanted than he could continue his book while he waited for the drunk bird to come flapping its wings back home.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 10**

The Kingdom of Vacuo

"I hate this place" Qrow turned his head amusedly to see his companion as they walked over the cracked yellow sand floor, the kid had just spat another set of sand out of his mouth as he looked towards the ground. The previous night, Nat had ensured that he enchanted his jacket and clothing to stop sand from hitting him, however, that didn't extend to his head meaning that the sand still blew in from the ground and blew itself happily into his mouth. In all honesty, Nat was grateful that he carried sunglasses with him as he doubted he would be able to go for long without having to keep up a magic charm around his entire face as they made their way through the dust capital of the world.

"It's just part of the culture here" Nat gave no reply as he kept marching through what was supposed to be a city, in all honesty with the design of the buildings he couldn't help but keep thinking that he was in the East during the times of the Crusades. Luckily, there was no city that was being fought over for an imaginary friend this time, still, the area was rather hostile to human life, at least compared to the nice green land of the U.K or Mistral. There he wasn't required to keep spitting sand out of his mouth every few seconds, he was honestly beginning to wonder how soldiers from his home country and the U.S were able to handle such deplorable conditions without the use of magic.

And despite him not doing anything to try an attract attention, he was definitely getting stares from the local populace consisting mostly of disapproving looks and anger to the occasional, of friendliness that emanated from the odd Atlas soldier or two. Not that the Atlas presence here surprised him much, Dust was the equivalent of oil here and had to be protected to ensure that it didn't keep getting stolen. If Atlas didn't have the dust shipments coming than the entire kingdom would likely collapse as they had no reserves due to the sheer amount that they kept burning,. Added with a large amount of Faunus in this kingdom, there was a definite fear to the government that if Vacuo was to turn against them then there would be serious trouble back home.

So there were soldiers deployed, not much, definitely not the amount needed to keep the peace in a lawless kingdom. However the soldiers here were located to protect the Schnee Company mines which were an ultimate lifeline to Atlas, Still, soldiers needed something to do when not on duty and so they would occasionally head over to the city of Vacuo for whatever reason. With their relatively light complexion, it made them stand out compared to the others allowing for children of the workers from Atlas to be located easier where they would then likely be picked on due to greater wealth.

As such with his own lighter complexion, there were looks of greed from some of the locals, were likely trying to figure out how much he owned and if he was worth attacking. However, they were holding back, most likely due to the mix that he was armed and the fact that he was accompanying a huntsman. Not to mention that unlike some of the Atlas children he had seen, his clothes didn't look expensive but rather average cost belonging to that of either a working-class or middle-class family. He certainly had nothing of value out in the open like rings or necklaces, he had always been wary of showing off his wealth, as he would rather not have the trouble and preferred to save it for when he would need it in the future.

Still, he kept his eyes flickering back and forth between the many residents, his hand never moving far away from his blade as both a warning and to be ready in case of an attack. Qrow, on the other hand, didn't have this problem of suspicious looks, his skin tanned in the sun not to mention there was the odd bit of sweat on the man as he was still accumulating to the difference in heat alongside wearing lighter and more colourful clothes.

As for their current destination, the Schnee mines were a bit of a distance away from Shade Academy and would, therefore, require a vehicle to reach if they didn't want to be suspicious. While there were a few birds flying overhead, Nat wasn't sure if crows were a common bird to deserts not to mention the fact that the man hadn't visited the Schnee mines before so there was no chance of apparating to them. Also, they were trying to be discreet and if people started following them than it would be disadvantageous to allow possible spies of Salem to know about his ability to apparate, something hey would gather quickly if they kept appearing and disappearing in places so rapidly.

"How did your night at the Pub go, you were late last night" A grin spread among the mans face as Nat forced the man to think about the incredible joyful experience he had gained the previous night when the kid had shut himself off in his room playing with that computer of his.

"Oh it was beautiful, you see there was this redhead with bright green eyes and her shirt had the top three buttons undone, oh and the things she could do with her mouth" Rolling his eyes internally, Nat would have preferred to have gone to their destination in complete and utter silence except he had a feeling that they needed to put up a false front in this location.

"I see your night was enjoyable then" Qrow chuckled once again as he glanced down at his younger companion, it was somewhat funny how he sounded similar to Goodwitch, not entirely the same, he wasn't as strict in tone nor as disapproving, but he also didn't seem to act as normal child should do at his age. If anything the kid was mature especially for a person who had only recently come into the Huntsman business. Normally that type of maturity was saved for people who lived outside of the kingdoms due to the laws of nature being that you grew up fast, or you didn't grow up at all.

"Oh it was the best, what about you though, there were a few lively ladies when we went downstairs, did you enjoy the night with any of them. You do know that without a council there aren't any laws of consent right, you could take advantage of that and enjoy yourself, not to mention in this heat sex is a brilliant way to relieve stress". Nat for his part just kept looking left and right, reading the very surface thoughts of everyone's eyes he met attempting to find anyone who was too interested in the conversation they were having.

"No I have better things to do than waste my time on such an activity" Qrows ace made a look of shock horror, he made a few steps back as if the teenager had said something that had grievously offended him to some deep level. After that, as Nat expected came the man speaking in a mock offended tone.

"Waste your time, how can you waste your time at sex, believe me at your age I was finding every single hot girl and could and bringing her back to my bed and waking up Raven whenever I could" Nat considering the mans past, didn't know if he actually wanted to look into the man's memories of the subject, having been in a bandit clan for his early life there was no telling what he might have done to his victims when he was younger and stupid. "You're a teenager, fourteen you're supposed to be finding girls and going on dates and having as much fun as you can, do you know how many teenagers just come to Vacuo for that very purpose. Besides, do you even know the utter joy you can get from having a good busty woman and absolutely"

"I get the picture, as for your question, no I have never once thought about it besides when I was first educated about the subject or when somebody else mentions the topic in conversation. There are far more important things to worry about when a person is young such as their education if one fails that then they shall doom themselves for their entire lives. I would rather throw my youth away to set myself up so that I am in a strong position in the future rather than wasting by rushing off for only some momentary pleasure. As for the question that you are inevitably going to ask, No I have not and am not interested in sex point blank. So do not try to set me up with someone for your personal enjoyment".

"Spoilsport, you need to lighten up a little, make some friends drink some booze and find somebody to have fun with. You're too young to be all serious and grumpy" It was said jokingly as if to try and tease the kid even more, but it didn't do much as the wizard just carried on walking his eyes every darting too the many residents of this sandy kingdom. He had far more important concerns at this current moment than sex or fun, he was on a different planet with very little. There were no documents of him which could prove problematic at the problem, he had little in terms of cash to sustain himself, and there was nowhere he could really go to, that might be able to try and put himself into a kingdoms systems and give him a full education enabling him to progress further into whatever career he wished. It was why his book was so important; it would hopefully provide a steady source of income for him in the future if things went poorly. The other reason was to try and subtly suggest some military tactics to Irownwood, without a modern war they relied more on the line and fire technique of musketry.

After all, he didn't plan on being a glorified mercenary forever, Remnant unlike Earth had lots of free land which could just be taken and lived upon due to the Grimm. If he so wished, then he could find a nice spot in the mountains or something and makes himself comfortable with no one interfering, it was the same with most of the land as the kingdoms just did not possess the power to police them effectively. As seen with Mistral where while there were many towns, they were essentially city-states, therefore nothing was preventing him from in the future once he got more used to this world creating his own.

Plus despite his current allegiance with Qrow he wasn't too sure if he would keep it forever, Salem was a threat there was no doubt about that, but he wasn't the type to be permanently a part of secret organisations designed to protect the planet. Being a Huntsman was an extremely dangerous job that involved hunting what were essentially demons for life, it was something for young and fit people but not for when a person got older. He had his future to think about, and trudging through the mud day after day just wasn't one of them. Still, though for now, he would work to become a huntsman, at least for the education, the money and the ability to explore the world allowing him to learn more about it and give him vital information for the future when he did decide to eventually retire.

Perhaps he could even start creating his own personal home sooner rather than later, There was bound to be a lot of prime real estate in this world. All he would have to do is find it and start building whenever he had free time. He wouldn't have much trouble with anything due to magic, and anything he needed to pay for could be sorted by the cash he earned by becoming a Huntsman. With apparition he would never be too far away from home, also if it was needed as possible future home could act as a safe house for him and perhaps Qrow and Ozpin if things went incredibly poorly in the future. Yet he knew he couldn't just pop off now and go exploring for a nice place to plunk a house down, he needed to stick to Qrow in the meantime and get to a certain position with his book. T was a nice idea though, one that he would have to look into more when he had any free time. The idea of being that lone wizard in a tower on top of a mountain was somewhat amusing.

"I think we need to focus more on buying those apples don't you think" Perhaps Nat thought, that some people would consider him incredibly paranoid by not saying directly where they were heading, but he didn't care not in a place like this. The purpose for their visit was to deal with an information broker in the Schnee dust company who was giving information to the White Fang who was then using that info to attack Schnee trains to take the dust and use it for their own purposes. While there was no definitive proof of the White Fang working with Salem, if the Grimm woman was as cunning as Ozpin said she was, then the woman would likely try to use them in some sort of way to achieve her plans one of which seemed rather obvious and had to be dealt with as fast as possible.

With the Faunus of this world ostracised and treated how they were, it was to be expected that something like the White Fang would eventually spring up, using fear and attacking humans to try and achieve their goal. Just like how when a terrorist group attacked people back on Earth it caused the attacked people to foster large hatred against the group doing the attacking, however unlike back home where the leader of the country was visible and elected, the leaders of Remnant were not. The minority would always represent the Majority and that was true of everything, after all with world leaders one person which was a minority of people would represent their country which was the majority of their people. It was where opinions came from, since when one person did something major like attack other people that were a representation of their entire people and how they would be viewed. It was the same with the Irish in Britain during the troubles, the opinion changed heavily against them, however eventually with time, the most hated group would always change when a new group took up the mantle.

The White Fang was that current group in Remnant, they were turning the humans and Faunus to hate one another. With hoe bad emotions brought Grimm to places, that was an incredibly deadly weapon. What was worse, is that if they worked with Salem's agents than they could deliver precise devastating strikes that could lead to a massive war leaving Salem in a far stronger position to do what she wanted. The White Fang was a dangerous group to be allowed to exist, with her desire to blow up the Huntsman school they posed a massive defence risk to the world that had to be dealt with. Except Nat knew that the White Fang would be unwilling to talk to and come to a peace, not with people like Adam Taurus who a lot of the White Fang had a healthy respect for. No, he would wish to enslave humanity at best and commit a holocaust at worst.

To stop Salems plans, the White Fang had to be destroyed before it was too late else they would face a massive risk in an upcoming war. The only problem was that certain people would have to be killed first, and he wasn't sure how well he could handle Adam Taurus especially if the man had warning. Rather Nat knew he needed extensive training and the support of not only Ozpin but also of Ironwood to hunt them down and eradicate them from the face of the planet. It was a shame it wasn't earth if it had been then the U.K and the U.S would have already started giving free air shows with courtesy high explosive devices dropped from the air to deliver to all the good terrorists. It would likely be effective against the weaker level grunts of the White Fang but he didn't know about leaders like Adam Taurus.

Aura was as much of a hindrance as it was a help if the man didn't have aura than it would be an easy victory for Nat, a single spell to one of the man's arms and he could kill the man easily with explosive spells. But with a protective barrier, it got harder as it gave the man a lot of annoying protection that could give the man the ultimate advantage in a fight. There was no way of knowing if the Faunus would be able to shrug off powerful spells and if he did then it got a lot harder, still, he would find out in the future. For now, though his and Qrows goal would be to try and hide the White Fang as much as they could without drawing too much attention to themselves.

Soon enough, Nat and Qrow eventually reached the vehicles on the edge of what was supposed to be a city, something that was made even more obvious by the increased amount of sand spitting Nat was doing, he really hated this blasted kingdom. The car wasn't anything fancy, it wasn't like what Nat had expected with it being some type of land rover variant or something that variety but rather what appeared to be just an ordinary car that one would fin in the city. For some reason the very thought of having to drive through the desert in this rusty dented sand covered vehicle made him think that he could hear the words of three certain pillocks nearby.

"On Top Gear Tonight" Jokes aside, what made the people of this kingdom honestly believe that such a beaten up vehicle would be the appropriate car of choice to go speeding around a desert to get to places, quite frankly it was just made and a sign of just how poor Vacuo really was. If he was honest, Nat was of the opinion that the entire kingdom should just be torn down entirely and rebuilt, since at least that way there would be a semblance of a Kingdom which was supposed to be safe from grim and a harbour of civilization, rather than just some seedy town on the outskirts of the world.

He didn't say anything though as Qrow walked up to the owner of the vehicle and began haggling for the price of the car that was going to drive them to their destination. With it being a large desert and unbearably hot, it was smarter to make sure that Qrow did not get lost if he turned into a bird, not to mention the fact that Nat couldn't also turn into a bird and flap around the open sky, something which there was no guarantee of if he did ever become an anamagaius. With their current mission in tow, Qrow would need him just in case something went wrong, if the man was attacked and left for dead, then there was no certainty that the man would be able to call him using his scroll for him to pick him up in the middle of the desert. Finally, it had the advantage of getting the wizard out of that blasted place the residents called a kingdom.

Making his way into the front passenger seat, he stopped himself from giving a look of disgust at the state that the vehicle had been left in, obviously, the owner had no care for the vehicle and only used to shuffle people back and forth. However, with the car in its current state, he had no idea if the car would even be able to drive them to where Atlas mining headquarters were located. As he kept glancing around the inside of the car, he noticed a red stain on one of the seats, somebody had tried to go over it and hide it from view, but it was still obvious that somebody had been bleeding rather heavily. Turning his eyes towards the dealer, he managed to catch the dealers eye which was all he needed to invade the man's memories and discover the cause of such a stain. Soon enough the deal between Qrow and the dealer was reached leaving a disgusted looking Qrow to jump in the driving seat, he was still partly drunk and Nat knew he could drive, but he would allow the older man to take the wheel this time as they set off.

"Avoid the route the man gave you, he's in collaboration with some bandits, every now and again he gives the wrong directions so the bandits come and loot the people who paid for the car every now and again before returning it. I have the safe rout in my head so just follow my instructions" Turning his head to his apprentice, Qrow nodded his head, having been in the Huntsman business for a long time, he had grown expected to certain things, being ripped off was one for those things and was why he was very pleased that he had a kid who could read minds and act as mechanic everywhere he went, it saved him a lot of annoying time having to rapier things due to his semblance. Still, he was waiting for something to happen to the kid that would bring him out of commission for a while.

"Figures, I pay for the one vehicle which belongs to a bandit tribe, hey do you think you could sort this car out, it's disgusting". Bringing out his wand, Nat with a simple flick managed to clean the entire car while it was moving, getting rid of the stains and bad smell that had wafted from the old seats to sorting out the dents in the car to also repairing the thin rubber wheels that had not been replaced in who knows how long. As thanks, Qrow gave a polite nod before placing his booze int eh recently remade cup holder to his side while the wizard started to pout himself a cup of tea using magic much to the amusement of Qrows as he occasionally glanced his eyes to the floating cup of tea in front of his apprentice. "We're in the middle of the desert and your drinking tea?"

"Firstly I'm British, second Tea is mostly flavoured water added with some milk, thirdly what else do you suppose I should drink". It was said so nonchalantly that Qrow couldn't entirely believe what he was seeing, normally whenever he visited Vacuo, they either drunk alcohol or water, the first to try and forget their problems that were mostly caused by Atlas fucking up their once beautiful oasis and the second since it was needed to sustain themselves. The sheer idea of drinking tea, a drink that would have to be grown in places like Mistral and would be incredibly difficult to transport to Vacuo and drink it in the middle of the desert without a care in the world couldn't help but slightly solidify the stereotype of a typical Atlesian.

Atlas people always brought their luxuries wherever they went even if meant making them look obnoxious and extremely wealthy. Something which if he knew about the history of the British Empire especially in Africa since it was the closest thing that the British had compared to Vacuo would make a lot more sense. The only difference is that the kid didn't have a flag, nice men dressed in bright red coats and the most powerful navy in the world with him currently.

"Yeah, and how the dust does being British have to do with drinking tea everywhere you go, seriously I never seem to see you without a cup of tea. Don't you think you need to calm it down a bit" It was only after Qroqw had stopped talking when he realised what he said, Nat could likely blame the sheer heat of this place, unlike him who had magic to keep his body temperature down Qrow hadn't asked for such magic allowing the heat to affect him.

"This coming from a man who regularly drinks his own weight in alcohol" The calm look forced Qrow to blink before sighing as he looked at his booze and then towards the sun straight after he looked at the wizard with a bit of a bargaining look on his face as he realised that there was a threat to his drink. Seeing this, Nat applied a freezing charm to his flask so as to stop the risk of the booze warming up in the burning African sun, still it meant that he was forced to watch as the scenery around them was an endless yellow.

"So how are you finding Vacuo" It was about half an hour later when Qrow brought back the conversation, Nat had since moved to continue writing his books as he had nothing else to do. The sole road that they were on currently was worn and beaten with no foot traffic, at any moment Nat was expecting to see some type of camel out in the distance with some nomads, thankfully they hadn't yet.

"It's not my pick for a holiday location" The location of the mines were some distance from Vacuo, and therefore by extension, so were the offices they were trying to reach, something that was incredibly advantageous to the Schnee Dust Company. Vacuo did not like Atlas and by having the mines spread over desolate sandy deserts, it made it harder for protesters to gather and threaten the Schnee dust company and its profits. The workers lived on sight apparently in what were supposedly small barracks that happened to be under guard. If there was an easy way to access the Schnee mines for ordinary citizens than the company would have a crisis on their hands as the citizens of Vacuo would likely try to steal the mines away from them for their own personal use. Added to this the Schnee executives stayed far away from Vacuo and tried to put any money they could back into their own communities around the mines so as to prevent Vacuo from gaining enough money that would be needed to arm themselves. Something that worked well for defence, but annoying for two people trying to get to the company as they made their way over the blistering desert.

"Yeah well the people here are great, if you can survive hear kid then you're welcome, no shit about whether your human or Faunus everything is just about one's own ability" Despite the huntsman's respect for the people who dwelled in the desert, Nat just couldn't see it that way, rather he saw Vacuo as a group of people who refused to try and actively set up a government and proper kingdom, as they preferred to live in their what he considered to be less civilized society.

The people often complained about how Atlas took advantage of them, however, they never did anything about it, they refused to work together to create a more stable society that with time would be able to benefit them. With a unified government, they would be more of a threat to Atlas to the point of perhaps forcing the Schnee dust company change its business practices, their problems with a lack of medical care could be dealt by having a system similar to a national health surface. This wasn't the U.S where the sheer amount of bureaucracy, lobbying and large amounts of reservations from normal citizens could actively stop the creation of an efficient national health surface. If the people of Vacuo came together than a lot of the problems that a lot of the people could be dealt with, or lessened to a state where it would be more bearable for people.

Even if they didn't implement more social policies that were typically found in European nations than a single government could help sort out minor problems such as police and the defence of the kingdom and its citizens. Vacuo was not the U.S where most people argued about big or small government since most people of the U.S would still likely say that the government did have to play a role in the lives of citizens, even if it was only a minor one. Vacuo in his opinion desperately needed to unify and strengthen them if they wanted to survive the coming years since as of currently it was slightly above anarchy in the city.

From what he had gathered, physical strength was defiantly required to survive in this backwards kingdom, the strength to take from others when needed, the strength to defend oneself if they are attacked, the strength to intimidate or bribe. If one was weak ion Vacuo then they suffered and died or left, some would say it was a good thing but in reality, it was a terrible concept for the people to live how they were. With such a large emphasis on physical strength, it took away time that could be used on other vital subjects, such as education. If the people had the time to develop the solutions to problems with technology and science than everybody would be able to live better preventing mostly the reason for physical confrontation as there would be no need to.

In all honesty, Vacuo was worse than city-states were back in Ancient Greece, back then there was a strong government that dealt with problems such as trade, defence, education. It was due to this why the city-states managed to endure since the people knew that in general, they didn't have to be afraid of their own neighbours since they had what was equivalent of a police. Unless the people of Vacuo sorted out their differences and banded together then they would forever suffer and never regain the glory of that time when they were an oasis amongst a dessert. And until that happened, Nat was not afraid to admit that he looked down on Vacuo as a kingdom, compared to the other three Vacuo was a disgrace and should be considered a kingdom at all with the only reason being due to Shade academy. Rather Menagerie which while small was civilised and structured should instead be called the fourth kingdom.

"To each, their own" Qrow narrowed his eyes at that, he had heard other people insult Vacuo before due to its antic's, it was annoying that his apprentice couldn't see the benefit and the harshness of the people living in this warm desolate place. However, his thoughts soon turned to another matter, one which was brought on by the sound of a loud bang from what was supposed to be the engine. Soon before Qrow could even speak to his companion he smelt smoke, then he felt something incredibly wrong in front of him before he could leap from the window he felt that familiar feeling in his gut as he was seemingly forced through a straw landing harshly on the desert with a thump.

Boom

From his position standing next to Qrow, the dull purple eyes of the wizard drew his wand and aimed it towards the vehicle as it exploded into an orange and red fireball. Somehow the sudden explosion of the vehicle had sent the car skyward flipping mid-air spilling nice hot tea and Qrows flak hurtling towards the ground. Despite the car who had suddenly decided that it wanted to be a rocket, Nat focused more on the ground where the road had been, the tip of his wand glowing as he felt the dark and demonic presence of Grimm approaching.

Rumbling loudly, the sand where the road had once been, collapsed entirely, falling downwards incredibly quickly taking anything that could have been stood upon down a deep dark treacherous hole. It only got worse from there, a large white claw emerged from the recent sink whole, the large white claw with red highlights rapidly leaving the giant hole was held aloft by massive legs. Bright glowing malice filled red eyes were then made prevalent as the rest of the creatures black and white armoured body became apparent, which was soon found by another and then another until what seemed to be a whole colony began seeping upwards. In response, Nat simply turned to Qrow who had since stood up and uttered a few words to him.

"I really fucking hate your semblance"

"You and me both kid, You and me both" Instantly flashes of light raced out of the tip of the wizard's wand, hurtling down towards the dark creatures, upon coming into contact, the smell exploded with great force tearing apart the first death stalkers exposed head turning it into a bloody paste. Upon its fatal death the deathstalkers body began to fizzle into the dark substance that they were created off, before any of the other death stalkers even had a chance to recognise what had happened, more of the exact same spell had crashed into more of the exposed creatures skulls blasting them into meaty chunks that stained the sand red.

Nat refused to let go of any of the momenta he had gained, as he constantly hurled powerful blasting cruses towards the Grimm as they continued to pour endlessly out fo what had to be some kind of nest. These creatures were not as armoured as he had expected, sure their bone-like appendage protected them in theory, but having fought in the duelling circuit, he was used to putting more power into spells than a normal witch or wizard would. As such his spells cracked the boy armour and went straight through to the skin. He refused to waste time with other spells like cutting curses since they would waste time and the effects were unknown, therefore using a spell which as currently quite easily clawing its way through the monster's armour was the better option, even if it was rather gory.

Qrow for his part was also easily slicing and dicing his way through the deathstalkers as they advanced, with his extra strength and experience, it was easy for him to evade the large claws and stinger enabling him to thrust his blade straight into one of the eyes of the creatures and directly into their brain. When that didn't work though, he changed his target to the joints of the deathstalkers legs and sliced through them leaving it on the floor of which he would then cut the top of the creature's tail off so that it would drop and crack the hard skull of the Grimm and kill itself. Turning his attention back to the next, He saw that the creatures were still coming in an endless stream that soon found themselves either sliced by him or turned into a fine puree by his apprentice.

Speaking of which, the kid wasn't too bad in an actual fight, unlike when he was constantly thrown to the floor in a sword match due to his lack of proper training and experience. This time the kid showed his worth, he moved constantly apparating and then dissipating to give himself the best advantageous positions allowing his spells to blast chunks out of the deathstalkers from all angles and utterly confusing the creatures. It only got slightly more amusing, when the kid managed to turn himself invisible leaving jets of light coming from all over the place and striking the deathstalker's. It was almost like there was an invisible fairy of death who was making its way around all the bad little Grimm and leaving a little treat of a powerful explosion for their own personal pleasure.

Still, despite the ever-increasing body count, the Grimm were not dying fast enough, Qrow was forced to move back from his position to prevent himself from being surrounded the by the despicable creatures. As for Nat, he was doing the same thing with the distance to the sink whole increasing as he made sure that his flank wasn't left exposed for some lucky pincer. With what appeared to be a never-ending horde of Grimm, both fighters came to the conclusion that they either had to fall back to Vacuo or find a way to contain the current threat. An idea soon struck the wizard.

"Keep them distracted, I'll deal with the pit" Before the experienced huntsman even had time to object so such a plan, the wizard since apparated away, appearing over the entrance of the giant hole in the ground as he grabbed the deathstalkers attention. Turning his wand towards the sides of the hole, he unleashed powerful blasting curses on the sides of the hole forcing it apart with loud explosions like that of a heavy artillery bombardment.

An avalanche of sand poured from above, surprising the deathstalkers as the suddenly lost their grip on the hardened sand that they had been climbing. With the loss of grip, they fell down harshly, plummeting towards the ground thumping into other death stalkers all the while the deathstalkers above it crashed into the first group. Before the creatures had any moment to recuperate, however, the sand soon fell upon them like a tidal wave, smashing into their bodies beginning to bury them in a tight formation. Large amounts of squirming between the creatures were attempted but it was of no use as soon enough the entire sinkhole had been filled entirely leaving a dent in the natural area where some screams and noises of the creatures could continue to be heard.

"Great work kid, now lets deal with these freaks and then we can sort out our other problem" With a new sense of vigour, Qrow went back to his job of slicing and dicing the now stabilised number of Grimm with his blade as well as occasionally shooting them with the barrel that had been attached to his sword. For nats part, he carried on what he had been doing, targeting the heads of the deathstalkers, specifically the large exposed glowing eyes and making them explode due to magic, although as of now he was curious about something.

These Grimm were similar to dementors as in not having souls and generally attracted to dark emotions, in response to the first threat the Patronus charm had been invented and used to fend off against the demons of the magical world. It had at first been considered an incredibly difficult spell to learn, however, Harry Potter had learnt it when he was thirteen and defended off against a heard of the dark creatures. Since then the spell had become a mandatory one for Aurors, as such his father had taught him how to use the spell just in case. Of course, he had never once used it on a dementor since he had never encountered one or a lethifold, so he had no experience with using it under stress. But perhaps, if Grimm were similar enough to dementors, then perhaps it could be a useful spell in dealing with the creatures. The only case was, was that he hadn't had the opportunity to discover whether that theory would be true, he knew that magic did work on the creatures thankfully it would be a disaster if they didn't, but there was no telling if the spell would repulse the creatures or do anything more.

Dementors could not be killed, not by Patronus or killing curse, hell not even by nuclear weapons had worked when there had been a secret deal with the muggle government. They had placed a Dementor in the middle of one nuclear test when muggle Britain had been experimenting with nuclear weapons only for nothing to happen. Dementors for all the knowledge of the magical world were un-killable demons who could only ever be forced to retreat, something that was far from the opposite with the ugly but lethal creatures in front of him. Grimm could be killed in any number of ways, as such if a Patronus did work, then there was the possibility that it would kill the vile creatures especially against a powerful spell which relied on the power of the soul to protect oneself from attack.

He could always try the spell later when they had captured a lower level Grimm like a Beowulf, however, the Patronus charm would be of no use to him if it could only fend off one opponent at a time. He was a duelist, he had far more lethal spells in his arsenal for a one on one duel or fight to the death than a fancy blue light, no something like the Patronus charm would be of more use to him if it could fend off against multiple Grimm at once. Apparating so that he was nearby Qrow in case anything happened, he stopped his blasting curses and aimed his wand at the amassed Grimm and began to think on his past.

He wasn't sure that he possessed any incredibly powerful memories, he had achieved some things he was proud off, but nothing of a ridiculous effect that he could call upon. Happy memories of his sister popped up, the ones of her pride when he had achieved something great in his duelling career, her smile the words of encouragement, they were good and he could start to feel himself casting the spell. His wand began to emit the light smoke of the Patronus charm, however slightly tp his confusion the spell was not the colour that he had expected it to be. There was no beautiful light blue smoke that was being created, but rather that of a dark dull violet, it still glowed but it was not of the colour that he would have expected to see of such a spell that required powerful emotions to wield. Quickly it seemed to harden into that of a small shield in front of him however beyond that there was nothing else, just like normal, he couldn't get past a defensive barrier.

The Deathstalker didn't care about the strange glowing purple shield in front of the soul that it so wished to destroy, rather it just approached and banged its left pincer on the shield only to stop suddenly. Pain wracked through its body, unbelievable pain more than anything that could explain, like millions of scolding hot yet freezing cold knives had struck it. Soon it couldn't contain its pain as it screamed out in agony, staring in fear at the purple soul that had injured it so. As it did so, it began to panic, the pain was spreading rapidly through its body seemingly setting his entire body ablaze despite there being no sign of anything wrong, upon reaching its brain, the creatures dropped to floor dead, however instead of turning to ash and smoke as other members of its type did.

Its corpse instead seemed to glow with purple energy, soon it was encompassed, entirety leaving it as a glowing purple corpse before then the entire body disintegrated entirely at once leaving little sparkles of glowing purple in the sky like glittering confetti before vanishing one by one. Unfortunately, there was no time to admire the show and it instead brought the wizard's attention back onto the approaching death stalkers that he began to fire at with his normal repertoire of spells for this scenario.

It wasn't long before the battle came to a result as the bodies of the grim dissolved into the air, Qrow slipped his hand into his pocket only to stop as he couldn't feel the metallic container anywhere. Looking towards his partner hi panic, he began to search the ground with his eyes for the container only it was nowhere to be found. Seeing the problem, Nat silently cast a summoning charm. He expected the flask to fly in from the distance however he only watched as the container shot out the ground and smashed into Qrow's face like a rocket before landing on his chest.

"I'd suggest finishing quickly, we're in the middle of a dessert with a deathstalker nest beneath us, we need to move rapidly" The car that they had taken here was all gone, and any of the remaining parts of the car were also gone leaving no vehicle. Normally this would present a problem, however, it was a simple matter for the wizard to bring out a few marbles he carried with him and transfigure them from some hardened pieces of glass into a pair of horses.

The creatures weren't anything spectacular, definitely not the type that breeders would take, but they would do the job of lugging him and Qrow around. Especially since he then conjured some food muzzles around the horse's mouths and filled it with apples and water. With the creatures happily munching on some of the apples that Nat had bought earlier, the wizard then conjured some saddles onto the creatures allowing the two of them to sit comfortably, at least in theory.

"Uh kid, you do know to ride a horse right?" It could almost be considered a somewhat comedic thing as Nat shook his head slightly, he had never once ridden a horse in his life. He had no lessons or info on the subject and neither did Qrow. The reason he had created horses was simply that conjuring a fully functioning car hadn't been done before and he didn't have a clue how to do so, and he wasn't in the mood to try, as such horses had come to mind as the next best form of transport. Except neither of them had a clue on what they had to do.

Getting on the creatures was the easy part, Qrow with his experienced easily leapt into the air before landing in the saddle whereas Nat simply apparated onto the beast before promptly grabbing the reigns of the horse. From there, things got more complicated. Horses didn't have ignition switches or key he could turn and pedals to operate but rather they were a creature and had to be directed as such, not that it did him much good. Thinking back to the odd film he had seen, that had horses he remembered seeing that riders had flipped their leashes to get the creatures to move forward like a whip lost.

He didn't know if it would work, but still, he gave it a try, lashing the reigns to go forward, it worked, too well. Seconds later the horse bolted forwards, thankfully Nat had placed a sticking charm to the saddle so he wasn't thrown off, however, he wasn't used to this sort of thing and promptly lost control as the horse raced over the hot sand. Even if he was stuck in the saddle, he could feel every bump as the horse went up and down, soon enough he decided to abandon the plan entirely. A quick jet of light and he was met with a marble as it returned to his hand.

Screw horses, he didn't have a single clue how to control the bloody things and he didn't have the time to learn, rather he would have to use a different method of transportation, something which would be far easier to control. Images popped into his mind of people he had seen on the tv once, they had been using a parachute and some type of massive fan on their back to propel them forward, if he was able to replicate something like that, then perhaps he could move across the desert with more speed than a beaten up car.

"All right move you stupid animal" Qrow was not having the best time, after managing to get on the horse, he had not been able to move the damn thing. Unlike the kid who had bolted off over the horizon, his horse had stayed put munching on the apples that had been put in its mouth pouch for its consumption. At the rate things were currently going, it would appear that they would have no choice but to apparate back and use a new car dealer or for him to fly and return back to the kid with the memories he needed. "Move" With the intense heat above him, it was difficult to not get angry with the current circumstances, however, things quickly changed when he heard a sound in the distance.

It was a strange sound at first, however he was soon able to recognise it as the sound of propellers in the distance, this sound became louder and louder as it approached his portion until with a l=jolt of energy, Qrow witnessed some type of machine or boat fly upwards after a dune before then falling and landing on some type of black bag. After landing, the vehicle got closer and closer until Qroq could make out the driver of this strange vehicle which happened to be his apprentice as he slowed the vehicle down to a full stop directly in front of him.

"What is this kid" The vehicle didn't exactly look like a vehicle, there was the inside of a small wooden lifeboat, with a black bag that it sat on, finally at the back were two large propellers which was attached to the ship with a piece of wood and was seemingly driving by themselves.

"It's a makeshift hovercraft, should be better than anything else we have and far better than any horse". While it wasn't a professional hovercraft with all the electrics, the vehicle compared to anything else was incredibly easy to make, just conjure an empty boat add a bad underneath it full of air and some propellers stuck to the back using magic to power them and whoila, a fully functioning hovercraft that would let the two of them move quickly over the sand and reach their destination.

Qrow didn't waste much time in jumping in, compared to the horse the boat looked far more friendly not to mention he wouldn't have to control the damn thing instead he would be able to just sit down and relax. Seeing that the man was comfortable, Nat wasted no time in transfiguring what had been the man's horseback into a marble before restarting the propellers as he moved their makeshift vehicle to the Atlas dust offices, hopefully, Qrow's semblance wouldn't fuck up anything when they were there.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 11**

Kingdom of Vacuo

It was dawn when Nat first saw the outline of the large corporate towers that belonged to the Schnee dust company. Standing tall and mighty with a dark grey shine, they reminded him of normal tower buildings that he had seen in the US on the odd occasion he had visited. Made of concrete and likely some type of blocks, they were a far cry from the battered sandstone buildings that belonged to the citizens of Vacuo. It was like somebody had just randomly decided to plonk some random modern buildings in the middle of a dessert for no reason.

Except as he approached over a sand dune and was able to see the area better, the location of which the buildings were located in was not made of sand. Rather there was a lush green area with beautiful canals of water and green shrubbery. Behind them, for as far as he could see there was a lush green area behind the buildings that were seemingly growing crops in the middle of the dessert unaffected by the local area. He was no farmer so he certainly didn't know how much food could be grown in desert areas, but he doubted that it would look like this. It was like just like the concrete buildings, except this time somebody had instead just teleported agriculturally viable land and was growing on it.

Others may have wondered why there was such a rich and luscious green oasis when the old one had been destroyed, however, it did make sense. Vacuo was entirely dessert making it difficult to grow any sort of food; therefore it was likely needed for the large amounts of people who worked in the Schnee mines to be fed. Whether a person supported slavery or nor was irrelevant, manual labour required the person to not be dead. There was also likely a strong paranoia, that the citizens of Vacuo would attack the Schnee company by trying to cut off their food, with the company being self-sustainable, it helped prevent that.

After reaching the edge of the ride, he quickly reversed the vehicle back behind, and then stopped it when he was sure it was out of sight. He wouldn't risk going over with the vehicle, earlier he had managed to barely spot a security camera. The device was likely to spot possible intruders before they got too close. He had managed to disguise the hovercraft with invisibility magic but he didn't know if other cameras had managed to pick up his location before he spotted that picture. If so, then he and Qrow could potentially have a massive fight on their hands which was something that they would prefer not to do.

"AHH morning kid, do you have breakfast ready" Inside the hovercraft, Qrow stretched his arms and legs slowly while yawning loudly. The man looked sleepy, but having been around him for long enough, he knew that if there was any danger than the man would be ready for action. When it came to a melee fight, than a pissed of his ass and not taking him serious Qrow was still far more than he could handle. Such was the man's skill.

He himself was not tired, having been a Ravenclaw, it was not uncommon for members of their houses to pull off regular all-nighters, in fact, once a normal student hit their fifth year, they would regularly pull off all-nighters if not sometimes more than that. He himself had always done an all week before his major exams so that he had enough time to revise, it would only be the night before that he would put himself under a deep sleep to allow himself to rest. Had he been a muggle, then he wouldn't have woken up from the tiredness on time; actually, if he didn't miss his physical training during that week, then he wouldn't have woken up. His duelling career was important, but his grades were more so and he didn't exactly lose anything by taking a week off when he had to ensure his future.

So no driving all through the night during what would have likely been a freezing cold desert if it wasn't for his enchanted clothing didn't to do anything negative to him. Besides he was hungry as well and since it would be Qrows turn so to scout out the area, then he might be able to get a few hours rest. He didn't mention to his tutor though, about the lack of hello or anything, he well used to it by now, and quite frankly there was a silent arrangement between them now. Nat didn't fuck with Qrows booze and Qrow didn't fuck with his tea, both of whom agreed not to fuck with each other's food.

"I take it you slept well" As he spoke, he began to pull all the plates and cutlery needed for breakfast out of his jacket, they flew with remarkable precision and floated in front of the two while at the same pots and plans flew out. Then came the food which began to start cooking itself, the can of beans opened and poured itself into one of the pots while sausages and bacon each began to take their place in different pans and start sizzling away. Two kettles started to boil one for tea and the other for coffee al the while privacy charms were quickly put in place around their miniature base camp. With everything in place, Nat alongside his tutor took their places at a recently summoned table and chair with a seriously oversized umbrella over them.

"Oh yeah felt like I was in my own bed" Considering the fact that Qrow had specifically asked him to conjure a bed to specific dimensions, that wasn't saying much. Both of them agreed that one of them had to be awake at any one time. All the magical protections in the world still wouldn't take off the burden that they both felt knowing that there was another potential hive of Death Stalkers lurking below their very feet. Thankfully though, it could have been worse. The Death Stalkers could have been spider-like Grimm. Not that scorpions were any better a Grimm, both sets of creatures were evil little things in which if he saw one he would kill it with a second thought, but considering the fact that he had grown up in a castle where giant south-east Asian spiders lived next door and one got a dislike for spiders really quickly.

Apparently, they hadn't been widely known until the battle of Hogwarts, when they had been driven off their territory and into the battle. It didn't matter in the slightest why they were there, but rather why the fucking hell they were even allowed to exist close by a school full of young children, let alone in the bloody country. Seriously, if the conservative faction that he belonged to ever got power back home, then one of their first agendas would be to throw Rubeus Hagrid into Azkaban for serious offences against the magical law. The only bloody reason why that man hadn't, was due to his friendship with the golden trio, he had been a joke as a teacher, something made only more offensive when after the war, he was not even given a trial considering his behaviour with past creatures.

A lack of actual knowledge on how kids would react to such dangerous creatures allowing them to do whatever they wanted. He illegally bred magical creatures that were not only of their own species but also different species; a law which had been put in place to stop the creation of any more seriously dangerous creatures. It was funny of how ignorant people were about the origin of certain magical species, he hadn't taken care of magical creatures but even he knew some of the basics. Of which one of the first laws was to not fuck up by having two different species breed together. Life wasn't Pokémon with a ditto and getting an egg, rather you got terrifying creatures such as the minotaur when a human fucked a bull, a centaur when human fucked a horse, harpies when a human fucked a bird. Or even things like manticores which were a whole host of creatures got involved in a breeding orgy. Then there was the smuggling the man did with the Cerberus the dragon egg and the giant fucking spider when he was still a student. A giant fucking spider which would have even more giant fucking spider children which would then kill and eat the students of Hogwarts.

There was no other punishment for that man and his idiocy, other than execution or imprisonment. Merlins beard, even the man knew that himself as he had faced Azkaban multiple times but got off due to his connections. First, it was with Dumbledore, and then with Harry Potter. He didn't care if the man was a nice guy, Hagrid had on multiple occasions, severely endangered and even cost the lives of students due to his actions.

Still returning back to the topic of oversized giant scorpions, he knew that from Qrows memories that there was far larger and far scarier Grimm in this world. Grimm that made the deathstalkers look like mere ants in comparison, unfortunately for him, due to his affiliation with Qrow that meant that he would more than likely come across these monster and have to fight them. He wasn't particularly looking forward to it.

He was just glad that he had taken arithmancy and ancient runes instead of care of magical creatures and divination. At first, it sounded like a stupid thing, after all taking a subject to learn about dangerous magical creatures could potentially give him insight into how the minds of these creatures worked. However, when one thought about it, they would realise that while there may be some aesthetic similarities between Grimm and magical creatures, there was likely to be no actual similarities. One of the greatest pieces of evidence for his theory was the fact that unlike magical creatures which could be birthed in multiple ways, Grimm was not the same and reeked of evil.

On the other hand, with ancient runes and arithmancy under his belt, he may be able to recreate spells from back home. Also with ancient runes', he could forge stronger wards, something that would be of the utmost importance if he was to make a new home on this planet. Especially considering the fact that unlike Earth where while there was a danger to the magical community, Remnant had a constant problem with Grimm and he would rather have the strongest possible wards he could have around any potential place of residence he may build.

Then there was the case of possible sharing of magic, he did not rust Ozpin from what little he knew of the man. But he was a Ravenclaw, the house he had grown up in was one that exemplified, wit, wisdom intelligence and creativity as well as knowledge and learning. Slytherin's would only search out knowledge if it was useful to their situation or plans, Gryffindor's were the same but only ever basic and Hufflepuffs sought out things to make them work even harder. Ravenclaw's, in contrast, learned magic and other things simply because they could, because they liked to learn new things and it was for this reason why he would see if he could come up with some type of deal with Ozpin.

Magic on this planet was likely to be foreign, and perhaps have different effects in what it could do compared to back home. If he could learn this other set of magic than it may prove useful in the future or it may not, but he was willing to give learn a whole new set of magic a try. After all, according to the legends of the maidens, Ozpin had given four women the power to not only use magic but also to wield the elements. Also, the man had given Qrow and his sister the power to turn into birds, which was another thing that he hand t heard possible back on Earth.

To his knowledge, it was impossible to give muggles to give any sort of magical ability as it was something an individual was born with. And while giving a muggle the ability to turn into a bird wasn't as impressive as giving one the actual ability to control the elements whose magic would then find a next host, it was incredibly impressive and not something he had heard of. Perhaps the man could help him find his own animal form, all wizards and witches had one, but very few ever discovered it due to the complexity of the magic yet he still wanted to learn, if only so that he could say he could do the magic. Yet he had a feeling that there was even more to the old man's powers, if the man had chosen the forms of Qrow and Raven, then perhaps he may be able to shapes shift like a metamorph.

The possible idea of learning such foreign and complicated magic did excite him, he could only wonder exactly how it worked. But there was also a practical point to learning Ozpin magic, if or when the man eventually died, then on the odd chance that he was still assisting the man then he could likely temporarily take the place of the man in doing his jobs while he trained or was even discovered. Besides that was the more dangerous fact that knowing how Ozpins magic worked could be essential in knowing how to fight the maidens if he ever came into conflict with them.

He had noticed the little ploy that Raven was hiding in the very brief time he had encountered the woman back in Mistral. She was powerful quite so. He didn't have time to look through her mind and see what she was capable, but even still he knew that if it came down to a proper fight, then she could be dangerous, something which was only made more dangerous as another maiden was out of commission.

So currently, there were too hostile maidens and two who nobody knew the location off. Going off the fact that Ozpin was rather cautious on the subject of the maidens with him desperately wanting to get them on his side, then that pointed to one dangerous idea. Ozpin was not as strong as he once was, especially if was going to need to rely on those he had given his power to, added with the fact that while the man wasn't incredibly old, he was grey in the hair and reaching an older age. The burden of being Remnants magical wizard, would, at least until Ozpin could find a new host, would fall to him. It wasn't something that he liked the sound off, even if it was temporary, the idea of being on Salem's hit list was not a good thing for a person to stay healthy.

It led back to his thoughts on why he was even assisting Qrow and by extension Ozpin in the first place. If he so wished, than it wouldn't be difficult for him to go on his own path; All he would have to do would be to use magic to take control of a person and via an imperious curse enter in his details to get himself a place at any school in the world that he could desire. He had the power to do as he wished on an unsuspecting populace, if anyone came looking for him then all he would have to do would be to apparate. Yet he hadn't taken that path, he had refused to wipe Pyrrha's and her grandmother's mind after he had gotten his magic back.

He had been given plenty of opportunities to do as he wished; he was in a world where there was far less risk of consequence than his own. A world that he could make his own, but still, in the end, he had chosen a side, he had decided to at least for now, forego walking on his own and assist others. He didn't care for them, he knew that for sure. However every argument against running away and hiding forever was not that he wanted to help people but rather that it would be less of a hassle in the long run, that as he had done before in sacrificing his youth and any chance of a normal childhood to study entirely for his future that sacrificing now would give him greater rewards in the future.

He was just trying to work out what rewards those could be, he liked the idea of adventuring around the world to learn more just for the sake of learning. If Salem was to come to power, then it was likely that knowledge would be destroyed and he could not enjoy things like new types of books or films. And his idea for a nation, he knew where that came from. He had seen opportunity and had a sense of homesickness but that was to be suspected. If he had moved to America on Earth then he might have felt this but at a lower extent, after all, he could at any time decide to go back to where he had grown up. But here on Remnmnat, there was no Britain that he could simply apparate back to at any moment, he would never see his home again, never experience the air or the feeling of magic or bask in its history. He would forever be lost, alone in an unknown world where the customs and life were strange and where he was unique among people.

His desire for a country was his subconscious mind trying to get him to create something that would remind him of home, something that despite the distance apart and what he had been forced apart from would give him some manner of comfort. Not that it would be anything like his home, there was no way that he would be able to recreate several millennia worth of history and the social attitudes that came from it. If he by some chance was successful, then the possible country that he would want to create would be different to the place that he had grown up in.

He was brought of his thoughts when he heard the flapping of wings, with a brief look upwards, he saw Qrow fly over the sand dune and head towards the oasis that was the Schnee dust company Atlas branch. Briefly, he wondered what the Schnee dust company would do when they started to struggle to find dust, the world relied on them to keep everything going as the company had managed to get a monopoly on the entire trade. It was due to this why they were given so much power and prestige, especially from the Atlas military. If there ever was a war, then Atlas controlled the entire worlds energy resources and would, therefore, be the first targets to strike in a war.

It was likely due to this very reason, why if Salem was leaving the company intact and attacking their transports rather than the actual mining locations. If Salem and her followers attacked the mines than the mines would likely undergo severe destruction if not complete obliteration. It would prevent Atlas from having access to dust enabling for a long siege to endure, but it was far better to steal the dust instead. Grimm while powerful creatures, were mostly not anywhere near as intelligent as humans or Faunus were. A standard Beowulf would not be able to make its way over to Atlas for an invasion if it was spawned in Mistral, instead it would require the assistance of some kind. And considering how barbaric Grimm was as a species, then quite a few would be lost if other species tried to move together.

For mass transportation of Grimm, then machines would be needed. Machines would require either Faunus or human drivers and a lot of dust and maintenance to keep working; this group would also likely have to be trained in combat, since when the war ultimately began the group would be under a constant attack and the Grimm couldn't be kept as sacrifices for people who couldn't defend themselves.

But that then left the question of where would one find a group who would be willing to assist an evil Grimm woman. There would have to be a very hefty reward for doing such a thing or more than likely, Salem would offer her assistance to her contacted group to help achieve their own goals. Currently, only one group sprang to mind and that was the White Fang. Already they had everything they might need, they had a large and willing bunch of followers, access to weaponry and vehicles, sympathy from other groups, the ability to conduct raids as well as a growing military threat which had been left untouched. But worse, the White Fang had at least as of this moment in time, any opponent who could successfully damage them or their operations.

If this was back on Earth, then by now the U.S alongside the U.K would have already started to deliver some premium air shows, with some courtesy free bombs for those who stood against them. Atlas, in contrast, was spending too much time flying above the sand and oceans only ever defending their warships and trying to make themselves look intimidating. The only problem with that strategy was that it was fine to look big and scary, right until the enemy started fighting back and you couldn't hit them hard enough.

Every day that Atlas did nothing to these terrorists, was another day that was given to the White Fang to arm themselves and endanger the planet as a whole. What worse was that they were investing far too much money into advanced electronics without a single thought for cybersecurity. Again, this is likely due to the fact that his planet was in constant conflict forcing all sorts of threats to appear, but it enabled him to even with no knowledge at all, to discover massive flaws in Atlas's military.

Atlas had recognised the danger of losing their Dust mines, but all they were doing was placing a lot of robots at certain locations without proper protection. A simple cyber attack could possibly disable the strength of Atlas due to the sheer amount of killer robots, hell if the people of this world even watched one of Earths films about AI going rampant, then they might realise the inherent risks, but they hadn't. It was almost frustrating, the sheer lack of oversight on the defences of not only this highly important place but also of the entirety of the Atlas Military. He almost wanted to just apparate to General Ironwoods quarters in Atlas, and tie him down to watch war movie after war movie until he finally got the point and could realise his own flaws.

If the White Fang managed to launch a cyber attack on the mines to shut down all equipment and defences than they would be able to gain control of one of the most vital recourses of the entire war. Even now, the White Fang was stealing countless amounts of Dust, where it be on the move on trains, ship or just from actual dust stores themselves. A person would have expected to see the Schnee dust company if not the whole of Atlas tighten its defences, yet nothing was done. All of which was why he and Qrow were at this place in the first place.

The White Fang had a spy on the inside of the company who was giving information to the White Fang so that they could then rob the dust mines. Normally his policy on such a thing would be instead of capturing the spy and turn them to their side. However, in this case, they had to show that they were serious about the Schnee Dust Company, and it was doubtful that they would trust him if he spoke of his idea for counterintelligence. Rather with the amount of animosity between the Schnee Dust company and the White Fang, both sides would immediately execute any spies. Still, he was off the opinion that if he had any chance of trying to reduce the White Fang threat, then he needed the Schnee Dust company to keep operating as normal, less they plunge the world into an economic recession or even worse.

He had a feeling that Ozpin would agree with his offered approach of turning the enemies spies into their own, but Qrow was more brazen about his actions and their path that should be taken to stop Salem. He also had a feeling that Irownwood would much prefer the larger and more visible approach to deter the enemies so as to make them fear the might of the Atlas Military. What the man didn't know, was that guerrilla warfare would be used, and that was an absolute fucking nightmare to deal with. The most famous example that came to mind was the failed U.S war in Vietnam, the death count and appalling conditions that soldiers had to go through turned the U.S populace against them forcing a retreat of the nation against the communist forces. But in more recent times, the attempt to destroy the terrorist in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria were all failures.

The U.S outmanned, outsized, outgunned and outspent the terrorist forces there, yet it still wasn't working. A powerful military with plenty of tanks and bombs and artillery worked perfectly against an enemy in pitch open battles or a normal war between countries like those of WW2 or the Falklands. But as soon as one side entered Guerilla warfare, it became a war not of fighting each other and taking positions, but rather that of morale. Eventually, one side would break and decided that there was no more point to fighting. History showed that it was the one who used guerrilla fighting who had a tendency of winning these skirmishes.

The White Fang would use these tactics, they weren't large or powerful enough to rival the Atlas Military, but they didn't have to be. If the White Fang dealt with the specialist problems, acting as small strike forces than the grim could be used as a massive wave or creatures who would simply overrun the enemy with pure numbers. He imagined that it would be like Nazi Germany in ww2, on one side they had a massive amount of enemies who never seemed to stop coming despite the sheer amount who were killed. And on the other, they had a well disciplined and supplied army who could do far more damage with fewer men. As he continued to think about the strategic importance of these mines and what would occur if they were to be lost in a war, Qrow flew overhead.

 **xxxxx**

Flying had always been a relaxing activity for Qrow, the ability to soar in the sky generally unhindered was a far different experience to the amount of time he spent walking over uneven ground and chopping off the heads of multiple Grimm. He would say that he had a far easier time concentrating when he was in this form, although he wondered if he was as efficient in flying drunk as he was when walking. The multiple times he had crashed into mountains and trees or managed to dive-bomb into lakes and oceans would say otherwise, it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience the first time Ozpin had fished him out the Beacon fountains. Still, he rather liked his time in the sky, soaring above all the troubles of the world as a spectator who could see all compared to his narrower point of view to when he was on the ground.

What was even better, was the fact that since he was flying above Vacuo, which as essentially one big dessert. He didn't have to do anything after a few mere flaps of his wings and allow the hot air to keep him soaring. It was like walking without doing anything, all nice and relaxing allowing him to laugh at all the silly people below who couldn't fly. Then again considering the wizard, he wouldn't be surprised if at some point or other the kid managed to ascend to the sky on his own.

Unfortunately for Qrow though, he was reminded of the fact that he was not supposed to be flying to relax his mind and try to get rid of the effects of alcohol, but rather he was here to scout out the large dust factories. As he had seen briefly before he had taken off into the air, there was a massive disappearance between the normal sandy wasteland of Vacuo, and the seemingly beautiful paradise of green that was located directly behind the large mining buildings. From this higher position, he made out how this sort of paradise was created and is maintained.

Large dust pillars seemed to be located in a block by block area, each one of these strange looking pillars had large chunks of different types of dust, all of which likely worked together to get a certain effect. Large water dust crystals were the lowest to the ground and were emanating water like massive fountains that pushed gallons of water down long deep brown trenches. Slightly higher up on the pillar was earth dust which definitely seemed responsible for the large patches of earth, the dark brown that was now covered in all sorts of food was both beautiful to look at as well as a reminder. Atlas had built their strength off of their technology, Vale and Mistral had their own struggles to deal with when they were young kingdoms, but Atlas had gone one step further. With their far more powerful and advanced technology, Atlas had taken the land they wanted for Dust cultivation with nobody able to stop them in the slightest.

It was rather evil in Qrows opinion what the Schnee company were doing, taking advantage of such poor people to take whatever they wanted. It was a similar thing to what had happened in the Great War, only this time nobody was rising up in anger to charge and destroy those who oppressed them. As for his apprentice, Nat seemed to agree of all things with the actions that Atlas was taking, why he couldn't understand. Sure the kid had stated that in the position of the Atlas council that he would do the exact same thing to secure the prosperity and defence of the kingdom, but in return for what, how many people of Vacuo were going home with bad backs or dying in mines, just so that one rich poncy fucker could have all sorts of wealth.

He took his mind off the subject quickly though as he approached the large towering skyscrapers. Flying gently by the windows, he was able to see quite a few members of Atlas, their pale complexion and business-like clothes were incredibly at odds with the geography that they found themselves in. Yet a quick look to the ceiling of some of the rooms and he found multiple fans blowing away keeping them nice and cool within their little safe protective cages, hidden from the dangers of the outside world as they exploited the lands recourses refusing to give up anything to the people whose kingdom they were in.

The inside of the skyscrapers was rather simple, typical grey floors with white walls and multiple sets of holographic scrolls where people worked, all of which had arranged into little blocks with a clear gap in the middle for people to move around. It wasn't exactly what he had imagined the inside of the rich and famous Schnee company buildings to look at, still, he wouldn't really care if anything happened to these people who exploited other people just for their own gain. He began to flap his wings upwards until he reached the top floor, on a hunch, he had expected that the richest of the greedy pigs would be where they could get the best panoramic view and laugh as they oppressed people.

The leader of this group was a woman. Probably in her early to mid-thirties and wearing a business like a dress that like her lower level peers, didn't suit the baking hot sun of the Vacuo kingdom. She was currently typing away at her scroll, likely doing some kind of work that he had no idea on how to do. He was a huntsman, not some desk worker who sat on his ass all day, he actually had a proper job that made a difference rather than giving more money to a selfish bastard located thousands of mile away in another kingdom.

Briefly, he noticed the few security cameras that were located in the room, they were more than likely there to record any worker who might try to lash out at the person in charge. Or perhaps they were Jaque Schnee's way of keeping an eye on his foreign workers, just to make sure that they were loyal. Either way, they would have to be dealt with first before anything else happened. The last thing that either he or the kid needed was to be recognised by Ironwood and then have constant messages sent to think about why he was meddling in Schnee affairs.

With his main task completed of discovering who was in charge of the building, Qrow decided that since the kid would likely be getting some sleep at the moment that he would continue to explore. There wasn't much of interest from above, the entrance to the mines was guarded, and people went in and out entering another building which Qrow had learned was the cafeteria. Having gotten bored, he had managed to find a rather beautiful young woman who was sitting alone and got her to feed him some of her food and allowed her to pet him. When some young guy stared at him evilly for getting some attention of the girl, he simply wandered straight into the girl's lap and sat down happily giving his rival an evil smirk.

Still, in the end, he had to fly back to his apprentice who after several hours should have woken up by now and they could get in with their mission of exposing the traitor to the woman in charge. Before he did though, he managed to get one final stroke of his only slightly ruffled and drunk feathers from the beautiful looking miner.

 **xxxxx**

When Nat saw Qrow again, he noticed that the man had a bit of a smirk on his face. A certain smirk, which only came around, when the birdman interacted with certain beautiful ladies. Internally, Nat hoped that when he went through the man's mind to get the memories for the layout of the buildings, that he would not be greeted by what he guessed were going to be some rather happy memories for Qrow and rather irritating ones for himself. He did not need to watch the man go at it with some stranger.

Thankfully this time, it seemed that the man had decided to control his annoying impulse of hitting on every hot woman he saw and instead simply act as a beloved house pet. A beloved house pet, that had nearly bit the fingers of some guy who had wanted to touch the girl who was petting him. He was then subjected to the information that he wanted on the leader of Schnee dust companies Vacuo branch. The room was unguarded besides two security cameras, alongside what appeared to be a reinforced door. Carrying on looking through more memories he saw other parts of the facility and what Qrow had thought on the whole Schnee dust company in its entirety.

He could understand the man's thoughts on the matter, a lot of people had the same opinion about large corporations becoming far too powerful. Back at home, he was sure that he had heard multiple stories about some company in America lobbying to stop some kind of proposal. He was sure it happened in his home as well, but it was far less covered. Qrow did have a point though, the Schnee Dust company was severely undercutting their employees since there were no work regulations in Vacuo due to their being a government only in name. It was because of this why the standards of the workers especially the miners were so low compared to the Atlas citizens.

Yes they should be paid more, and proper safety regulations put in place to help its workers, but as for all the money going to some selfish bastard who did whatever he wanted on the backs of other people, he wasn't so certain. Oh, there was definitely an amount of selfishness with no care for the miners, but he wasn't of the opinion that the man shouldn't get the money his company made in profit. The Schnee man legally owned the company and was therefore entitled to the profits of the company after all expenses had been paid for. It was just like some small business, you wouldn't say that a small business owner wasn't entitled to the profits of his shop because people worked under him and did the effort.

As for things like taxes and avoiding laws, the Schnee Dust company did pay lower tax but that was at least on paper because they donated large amounts of dust to the Artesian military for all sorts of purposes such as scientific research. And when it came to Vacuo, the Schnee Dust Company weren't breaking any laws because there weren't any in the first place. It may be different in other countries, but where he was from, you could do anything that wasn't illegal, so technically with no laws on how to manage workers in dangerous environments, the Schnee Dust Company was in the clear.

Now, normally things like this could be challenged if the people of a certain country put in place new laws or threatened to take legal action. The problem with that though was that this was Vacuo. This particular kingdom was only one in name, the people got on purely by mutual respect. There were no real laws for, anyone, to enforce them if anything it was more like some pirate outpost where people behaved by an unspoken constitution, but ultimately there was no sort of government that could rule effectively this location. So for a school of young likely hormonal due to the heat and their age teenagers to be the ultimate authority in the land, meant that the Kingdom was pretty fucked. And was why his respect for Vacuo just did not exist. Quite frankly he would feel ashamed to say that he was from Vacuo, it was just some lawless uncivilized backwater shit heap that only had the title of kingdom due to historical reasons. The menagerie was a kingdom, Vacuo was not.

If the people of Vacuo would be willing to change that, for the people to actively start a proper government and become a kingdom once again like it had been before the Great War than it could be considered a kingdom again. It was no wonder why the people of Atlas did not like to be in Vacuo, it was like if a person worked in a company in Europe and was then sent to some poor dangerous country and told that while they would have private facilities, that there was the fact that they could be attacked at any time and the locals utterly hated you. Even then though, at least most countries were countries, they could be highly corrupt and dictatorial with large amounts of murder. But there was still a government that handled things, rather than a bunch of teenagers in a pyramid who couldn't b threatened due to their combat skill. All in all, Vacuo was a place that was teetering on the edge if pure anarchy, only the combat school had any kind of power and was why their students were often seen outside, to try and stop everything from falling apart whether by negation or by force.

To summarise, if a person hadn't realised it by now, Nat fucking hated Vacuo.

Back onto the subject, he grabbed Qrow by his wrist, pulled out his wand and then quickly cast some illusion charms around them so as to hide their identities. After this had been done he apparated leaving their place in the dry desert sand to that of what could be considered one of the most important companies in the entire world.

Katherine Lemon was having a relatively normal day for her, she sat at her office looked through various reports and statistics and occasionally attended the few meetings that she did have at the facility she was actually stationed in. All the time of which she desperately hoped that the phone would ring to tell her that she had been given a promotion and she could leave this godforsaken desert and return home to a much nicer environment. A place where she would have the luxuries of home like her friends, and Atlas Tv shows and the ability to be close to her son who was currently training to become a Huntsman who wanted to become a member of the Atlas military. It was as she was having a quick glance at the picture of her child in his Atlas uniform that she was suddenly alarmed.

"Afternoon" Before she could even react, Nat quickly snapped his fingers, he knew only a basic amount of wandless magic, a few spells such as a summoning charm, a lighting charm and a fairly weak fireball alongside a few others, but he was rather limited and certainly not in a position where he could fight without a wand. But in this case, he didn't need to do any of those things. Rather with a simple snap of his fingers, he unleashed a small wave of magic targeted at the door, the two cameras and the hidden button on the executive's desk frying the electronics like an emp.

"Who are you, what are you doing here, If you want money than you've come to the wrong place" Qrow now hidden by his disguise, of a short spiky haired blonde guy with bright green eyes promptly sighed while he held up his hand defensively as he saw her react to their intrusion.

"Look, lady, we don't want your money, we wanted to help you." Katherine narrowed her eyes at the spiky-haired man before then turning to what he assumed was this man's partner perhaps girlfriend going by the long dark hair and blue eyes. The woman was also fairly attractive with her slim figure, Katherine wished she could have a figure that slim.

"And what type of information is that" Katherine continued to focus her eyes on the Spiky male, unlike his partner who seemed to be relatively unarmed with that small pistol on her side, the spiky man had a bastard sword hanging off his back with a shotgun in a holster to its front.

"We were hunting a few months back and encountered some White Fang Members. They weren't a problem but one of them left a scroll behind, curious we looked for more information only to discover that it had the entire schedule of Schnee Company trains loaded with dust". Without a word, a holographic projection appeared from the scroll showing that there was indeed the list of trains and all of its cargo including security members. The blood drained from Katharine's face, at the same time, it felt like somebody had just dropped weights inside her stomach.

"Wait these are only a few days old, how did you get a hold of them" Having checked over the progress of where the trains were, Katherine knew that this list was correct as she had checked it over multiple times before it had departed and had then checked it over multiple times since then.

"Somehow the White Fang knew what we were doing and ambushed us on our way here, we managed to fend them off, but they had in their possession the most recent set of lists. Unfortunately the previous it was destroyed in the ensuing chaos so we can't give you those ones, but we can say that there is a spy here". Katherine didn't think it was even possible, but the weight in her stomach got heavier and heavier as her eyes repeatedly flickered over the list of deliveries and names and security arrangements. Just to ensure she brought up her own copy and it was identical.

"Dust, the boss is going to kill me. If it wasn't bad enough, having to deal with this godforsaken desert, now I have to deal with a spy who has been giving every secret of dust deliveries to the Schnee Company's number one enemy". Katherine whispered under her breath, fear evident as she thought of the consequences if this information was ever released. While she was concerned for her own safety and prosperity; her thoughts focused back on the picture of her son. She had worked incredibly hard to get to the position where she could send him off to that school; she still remembered his sweet smile when he had left her to depart on his own journey. The Military ran the academy, and with the close ties that the military had to the Schnee family, there was always the possibility that out of revenge that Jacque Schnee would kick her son out of the school. She could not allow that to happen.

"Do you know who the perpetrator is?"

"No, but if you were to give us access to those who handle this type of information that we will easily be able to locate the person. My semblance is to read a person's mind, I can be incredibly stealthy so there is no need to call a meeting, just one quick look and I'll find out your criminal" A sigh of relief was let go from Katherine as she started to realise that she could sort this situation out without risking any sort of threat. It may be a bit unusual, but she was sure that she could slip the two hunters to the area that they needed to be.

"That is brilliant, do you think you could go now, I would rather have this mess dealt with as soon as possible. Do you understand, give me the name of the person, and I can handle everything from there" Nat nodded underneath his illusion, while he had no doubt that the woman would be desperate to try and sort this situation out as soon as possible, using a little compulsion charm to hinder her ability of questioning them was also useful. It was why she wasn't calling for security and seemed to have a ridiculous amount of trust for two people she had just met.

"We'll get on it right away" With that Nat and Qrow waited as the woman quickly handed them visitor badges, why she had some upstairs, well she had a meeting with some other executives a few days ago and had forgotten to take them downstairs. Not that it mattered at this point because she had just given a visitor pass to a Huntsman and a wizard, two people who it probably wasn't the smartest thing to give a free pass to.

Things were going decently until they met a small little problem of Nat drawing attention to the unwanted kind. "Uhm excuse me miss, are you looking for someone. I can help you find them if you're lost" It was some random office worker, well technically the person was the biggest flirt in the office and would constantly bring women back to office workers apartment for Netflix and chill except without the Netflix and a lot more chill. The guy wasn't ugly, in fact by female standards the man would be considered attractive and unlike most stereotypes, the man wasn't a complete asshole. Sure the man flirted but he was respectful of women.

"I'm perfectly fine to thank you" Things got worse when Nat heard Qrow snigger behind his hand. Normally Nat wouldn't respond due to having to keep a cool calm expression, but with him, under an illusion, he had to play the part. As such, he slapped Qrow. It wasn't a rough one, not that Nat thought he could actually hurt Qrow without using magic, but it solved the problem of shutting the alcoholic up.

"Are you sure, what about a drink or some food, we have some nice triple chocolate cookies in the kitchen, and work finishes only in a few minutes, so there won't be a problem if I show you around" There was another snicker from Qrow, while the man was acting, Nat could feel the smirk on the mans face, honestly it didn't really annoy him, he wasn't one to get upset over such things. He also doubted that Qrow would be so stupid as to constantly tease him about it since the man was aware that his memories could be wiped. Or if Nat was feeling particularly vicious then he would strip the man of all clothes, tie him to a pole and leave him dangling over the area where the Death Stalkers had ambushed them the previous day, all the while he would promptly laugh in his face.

"I like girls, and I have stuff that I need to be doing" Okay now Qrows small chuckle became a full grown laugh as he watched the desk worker seemingly light up like a Christmas tree in embarrassment. With a hasty apology, the man made himself scarce leaving the two huntsmen to carry on walking through the building, only this time they weren't accosted by anyone in the slightest.

Eventually, the two made their way to the place that those who worked with the shipping of dust was located. Like the rest of the inside, it was plain and boring except for the holographic screens that acted like miniature computers. Nat saw images of train lines and schedules as well as the current price of shopping and all other types of useful information that one would have to navigate through when moving items away from the continent.

Walking slowly by, Nat moved his angle allowing him to meet the eyes of multiple different members where he dived into their memories. Most were boring and uninteresting; one had a few memories about some funny line in a book while another was worried that he would catch his wife cheating on him. Soon enough, he came across the person he wanted. A model employee, and, caring and hardworking, it was expected that this person would advance highly in the company due to her work ethic. She was the perfect worker, except it was all an act to hide her true feelings towards the Schnee Company.

This human or at least she looked, human, was actually the child of two Faunus, apparently, there was a small chance that two Faunus could have a human child not born with any Faunus abilities. How Nat didn't really care, but he was pretty sure that thing didn't occur at home, it was like two people having a monkey as a child. Unlike the typical clichéd story of her being discriminated against, she had a fairly good life until her parents were killed by a bandit human group, forcing her and her sibling to go to Atlas where the whole debacle started. Skipping the rest of the story, she was now working for Atlas gaining previous information to assist those who stated that they cared for her and would bring true equality as well as bring justice into an evil world.

With the name of the individual, he pulled out of the girl's mind and began to walk back the way he came. There wasn't going to be any direct sort of confrontation, since, despite the illusion charms around himself and Qrow, Nat would prefer to handle things subtlety then charge in guns blazing. After all, what would it do besides become a media storm, rather what would more than likely happen, is that Katherine would devise some sort of ploy to get the spy sent to Atlas where she could be detained silently with no cameras.

It was what he would do, contact the higher-ups of the Schnee company to say that she has had suspicions and caught a spy, but due to her popularity, it would be best if some sought of emergency could happen for her. When the woman rushed back, she would silently detain at the equivalent at customs, and then brought to jail before anyone knew what happened. Then he would arrange a cover story such as the fact that a family member had become desperately ill and that the spy needed a position closer to home to assist them.

While doing the Ironwoods preferred method of simply arresting the woman on the spot, would deal with the original problem, it would create more in the long term. If random citizens were simply arrested without charges or even false ones, then people would begin to suspect something, plus with a public arrest, the news would get out and alert the White Fang. In his way, a fake story of some disease could then be spread with the final result being that the poor spy had died due to catching the illness their family member had, giving a realistic reason for their missing co-worker.

"Thank you for this information is there anything I can do for you two in return. Some lien for your reward or maybe a sponsorship perhaps, I have contacts that could help you with future jobs". The woman looked hopeful, but also rather worried. Nat knew that Katherine was essentially doing her best to bribe the two of them into not sharing what they had discovered with anyone else less her career be destroyed. A quick look at Qrow however, told Nat that the man wanted to ask for either some cash so that they could buy booze or just booze in general.

"May I ask who these contacts are miss. We don't exactly want to get swindled into being given random peoples phone numbers. If not, then some spare dust would do us" Nat wasn't going to do what some stupid Gryffindor would do, he wasn't going to say that delivering this information was completely free of charge and that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart. Doing anything along those lines would instantly raise suspicion against them, they also couldn't ask for too low a reward. Since again, like doing it free of charge, contacts while useful in the long run could be faked so he and Qrow would need something that had actual worth and could not be tracked. Which was why Nat had chosen dust.

He didn't need any dust, duplication charms sorted out that problem. But Dust did have a certain value to it, and it could be sold to distant people they would meet in return for favours. Added to this, it was also untraceable. Unlike cash which would have to go through various bank accounts which themselves would be rather tedious, and could be tracked by people who worked with money. Dust was simply some pretty ricks that could make things do other things, it was just like carting a drum of petrol around with him. Also, since he and Qrow were hiding their identities, then it would be far better to take rewards in hand, whatever form they may take. The only way to avoid such a thing would be to set up a bank account in their names by him using the imperious charm. He wasn't entirely against the idea of using that spell if he absolutely needs to, but it was still rather dark magic. He would prefer to use the non-illegal spells, at least until he absolutely had to. This was still his feelings towards taking either a sentient life, he had never directly killed a person and he didn't particularly want to.

Leaving people for dead, severely wounding them so they would die of anything which wasn't caused by him or just not caring about people who did die, That was something he was entirely fine with. But to actively seek out and desire to kill another person on purpose, that was something that he had no desire to do. He did enjoy causing pain to others who had angered him on the duelling field and leaving them heavily inured, and there were people he desired dead and would have a party when they did. But still, too actively take the life of another sentient being was, as far as he understood, a necessary evil. One he may not enjoy, but it still had to be done. And he would eventually have to find the strength to kill another sentient being on purpose.

Ultimately, he knew that he would have to take another person's life eventually. Whether it be when fighting bandits or normal people or when he would likely have to fight Salem's lackeys, he could not afford to be merciful and leave his opponents with life-changing injuries. Even if a person couldn't walk or fight, a person could use their mind or pass on information. Whether that be for spying purposes, or for training the next generation of fighters, an alive enemy was still ultimately a threat and a liability. If he did decide to fully commit to Ozpin, even if it is only temporarily. Then his ability to delve into a person's mind and learn all their secrets would be a powerful weapon to be used, one that could change the tide of the upcoming war.

Torture was one way to extract information, but people could resist or give out false information. In contrast, he could see the memories in the subconscious, things that while a person would forget, the subconscious remembered. Like when you tried to think about something actively, but didn't have a clue, but when you saw words or an image, the information would flow easily allowing you to remember. Thousands of lives could be saved, and if he absolutely needed to, then he could the imperious curse to take control of important people and force them to listen to reason. A wrong tactical decision which could cost the squad or worse an even larger population would be stopped.

To take active control of another person mind was an incredibly useful and powerful tool, and was likely the reason for a lack of any major international war in the western world. He had been approached by the MOD; it was shortly after he had made his announcement of his ability to combine magic with electricity. He had refused, family magic was an incredibly sacred thing. Yet he knew that his discovery at least back home was worth a ridiculously high amount, and was also one of the most important discoveries in the history of magic. But since the MOD had asked him to give the information away for a huge amount of cash; that meant that the government had to have at least one wizard or witch working for them. If that was the case, then it would be all too easy for the government to order that one magical to cast an imperious curse over anyone on the plane to become a puppet. Essentially it would allow the U.K government to control anyone who they wished and by extension the world.

And how did this entire philosophical argument waging in his head relate to the current situation?. Well, if he was already using his magic to influence people of power to do as he wished that he had already taken the first steps in this war that he had found himself in. His side was chosen and he was showing both to himself and his potential allies how much he was worth in the war. The question that he had to wonder, was how much more could he do now that he was essentially left in a state where he could cast any magic he desired with no risk of consequence.

"Oh yes, I'm sure dust will be of use to you, I'll write you a letter to give to the guards that you're to be given a few souvenirs, it's not out of the ordinary for guests to be given small amounts as thanks for attending" Brought back to reality, Nat only wondered if it was normal for mines to give people small amounts of resources or chunks as a thank you. Maybe at a small iron or tin mine, he doubted that anyone visiting a gold mine would be given free gold, let alone a diamond mine. But if the sheer amount of Dust here was so abundant that the woman could afford to give some dust, then perhaps his theory of Remnant collapsing soon, due to a lack of recourse might be a little too soon.

"Thank you that would be much appreciated; once we have it we'll be on our way, and trust us your secret is perfectly safe" Behind his illusion, he kept his normal stoic expression, but what Katherine saw was a small warm smile that filled her with hope. Soon enough they were given their note and headed to collect the dust and were on their way. As soon as they were in privacy though, Qrow finally spoke up.

"So kid you look good in a dress, if I didn't know that was an illusion, I would have bought you a drink and have some fun" Privacy, of course, meant that he now had to deal with Qrows irksome teasing of the appearance he had chosen for his false identity.

"I chose the form, since if anybody tries to connect the dots to the two of us, then hopefully the idea of a woman with a man might lead them off the trail or confuse them long enough to buy us time". Sure Nat could have gone with a different from, but it was all about stealth, if a person expects Qrow and him wearing disguises, then with the illusion of woman he might be able to confuse the searchers since they would be looking for a teenager and a drunk bird, not a blond-haired spiky twat and a woman.

"Still that was some pretty good acting skills back there, did you take classes or something?" His response was simple.

"I'm a Politician"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 12**

Kingdom of Vacuo

Sand blasted over the local area, sweeping over the city of Vacuo. It was a common occurrence in this kingdom, one that the locals had gotten used to, except this time it was more dangerous than a normal sandstorm. The wind was howling and the sound of grains of sand constantly hitting the old mud hut building was rather prevalent. From inside their shared room, Nat sat comfortably on the window sill occasionally sparing a glance outside only to see pitch black. A few occasional lights flickered in and out of existence, but for the most part, it was like being inside an endless void.

"Well looks like we're trapped in here for the next few days, the weather reporter said the storm goes on for miles". Qrow who at this point was lying rather comfortably on his own bed pissed out of his mind remarked on the situation. In fact, Qrow was so drunk that when a flash of lightning was made visible, followed by the bellowing of thunder, the man fell down in shock and desperately tried to grasp his weapon. Only for the sword scythe gun to tumble to the floor from his drunk fingers and smack him on the head. "Ow"

"Be on guard, there's no telling what could happen" In his drunken stupor, Qrow looked at the pitch black area outside and shrugged. Having visited Vacuo many times before and withstanding a few sandstorms on his visit, he knew there was nothing to worry about. Nat, in contrast, was more cautious, besides never being trapped inside a sandstorm; he was also concerned about the threat of Grimm attacking.

"Don't worry kid, Vacuo is perfectly safe, the only things that might be outside are things that could survive out there and there are very few Faunus capable of that. Besides you have your weapons now, you don't have to worry about getting in a fight with your magic" That brought Nat onto the weapons he had received just half an hour earlier before the sudden panic of everybody rushing home to take cover from the sandstorm had occurred.

The weapons he had bought (Well technically Qrow purchased them, but he was the one who had got the man the reward in the first place.) were of a noticeably higher quality. He hadn't tried them out and he certainly wasn't an expert in weaponry yet alone firearms, yet when he looked at his new weapon ns compared to what had come before, there was a rather noticeable difference. For one the blades on his two new sabres were more elegant then what he had before. They were shinier, and far shaper as well as stronger, on the actual blade pattern themselves, the blacksmith had even printed the flag of his home. The handguard had even been improved, besides making it symmetrical; the blacksmith had added some circular rings above the main handle, all of which again had his symbol on.

But it was the assault rifle that she had given him which held his attention the most. The weapon was more elegant than he had expected when he had first placed the order, but apparently, that was because most of the features were easy to do. The bullpup design made the weapon shorter while still keeping the same performance allowing it to be used more comfortably in closed spaces. It also meant that the ammunition clip was behind the firing trigger making it slightly harder to reload. However with an infinite amount of ammunition thanks to his magic, he wouldn't have that problem very often.

The ammunition type he had been given was the most common largest round that assault rifles typically had, and that was an 8mm round. Other sizes did exist, but the general rules were that when facing grim, it was best to have a bigger and more dangerous round to conserve ammo. Smaller rounds were used for human and Faunus targets. He also had multiple types of rounds all of which he had several clips for so that it would look better for the initial purchase in case anyone asked questions. These different clips such as the armour piercing and fire dust ammunition each had their own compartments on the utility belt. This was where his sabres, daggers and grenades were also kept. All of which he had enchanted to reduce the carrying wait so as to ensure that it didn't affect his movement speed.

The original scopes on the side he had asked for, had instead become only one but acted as both allowing him to zoom in and out due to the advancements that the blacksmith had made for free. The rails on the gun had also proven very useful, as the grenade launcher on the bottom also acted as the forge rip fiving him better control of the weapon. On the right side rail, was the laser sight; while on the left was the torch that he had asked for. The gun had the flash hider already attached, but when needed to it could be unscrewed for the silencer. Closer to him, on the left-hand side, was the information screen.

A handy little piece of tech, it acted as a sort of mini scroll that worked with all the little gadgets on his gun as well as his scroll. It presented the type of ammunition being used, the number of bullets left in the gun, how much his scope was zoomed in when his torch and laser was turned on. As well as wind direction, the distance between what he was shooting at and a targeting screen informing him if he needed to correct his aim. It was expensive, and a very difficult piece to work with, but the blacksmith really liked Qrow and had stated it when he had gone to purchase the weapons where she wouldn't with other customers. This was something which was proven even more as the woman had included two of the newest features which were a heartbeat sensor, and an infrared mode. Finally, when it was not needed, the small screen could be collapsed to the side.

"On that note thank you. I know the only reason that I got these weapons, is because of your connection to the blacksmith. Otherwise, i would have been paying three times the amount and it would have taken me longer to get them". Even in his utterly completely drunk state, as in the man was so drunk that if there was attack Qrow wouldn't even be able to fight, the shapeshifter managed a small smirk.

"Ha, I and Angie go way back to the days of when I was in team STRQ. You see we had gone over to Vacuo for the Vytal festival, it was all fun and games at first, but then we met Angie. She was really beautiful back then, but before I could try to put the moves on her, she collapsed right in front of us crying. Summer being Summer found out what was wrong instantly. You see Angie's family had been kidnapped by some unscrupulous Atlas members who had been running a protection racket on the side. Angie's family couldn't pay so they were kidnapped, and Angie didn't get on well with the rest of her team very much. Well as you could expect from Summer, she got Tai me and Raven to help the girl to get her family back and stop this protection racket"

As the man spoke, Nat noticed the different tones he used, at first he seemed happy as he remembered the past, but then seemed to go into a small amount of mourning as he brought up the name of his niece's mother. But as it got on to the last bit, the man's tone changed to that of annoyance and anger.

"I assume that it went poorly?" Qrow scowled turning his head back to the pitch black of the sandstorm.

"Poorly' wow what a word to describe it. No, it was a shit show. Turned out that the protection racketeering thing was being led by the general stationed here, a real piece of work let me tell you. He hated all Faunus and were kidnapping stray Faunus to work in his own private dust mines, an arrangement he had with the man in charge of the Schnee company. When we first confronted the racket, we didn't know the mess we caused by going after them so openly. The higher up members took Angie's family and a few others and held them hostage to lure us out. We came, but before we could do anything they were executed before our eyes. We were only first years then, not good enough as we needed to be to stop it."

Nat remained silent as he listened to the story, while he had seen brief flashes of Qrows memories, he didn't remember seeing this one. Then again, the memories he saw were some of the more important ones to learn about the man's character. With his history as a bandit and already killing people, it was no wonder that a small thing like this wouldn't mean much.

"After that incident, Angie wasn't in a good place, she came to me for comfort to try and get rid of the memories. She didn't want a relationship of any kind, she was too afraid of getting hurt that badly again. Instead, she just wanted to have sex to try and take her mind off things in the short term. As a result, we got closer and became friends with benefits. A few weeks later we managed to detain the group, but still, a lot of people died. After a while, with the help of Ozpin giving us information and getting the headmaster of Shade academy off our backs, we eventually tracked down the leader of the group. More people died, and Angie killed the leader of the group".

From his position sitting on the windowsill with his laptop on his hands, Nat continued to write his book all the while he continued to listen to Qrows story. Learning more about not only his mentor, but the man's boss would be of the utmost importance. Knowing how Ozpin would bend the rules would be of the utmost importance when trying to figure out what the man could do if the old man wanted to track him down. If not, and Nat did decide to truly to commit to Ozpins side, then it would also be useful to know just what Ozpin could do without his fighting ability

"Thanks to Oz, we got off perfectly free. Nobody knew what happened and our names weren't mentioned to protect us from certain individual's who might have wanted to take revenge. Still, it was our first real mission and it affected Summer and Tai a lot more than me and sis. I mean that s not to say that Summer completely changed, but she became a bit more tempered after that first mission and when she truly learned what could happen on the job. It also got her to spend more attention to Tai as they were both going through the same thing at the time. As for Angie, she gave up being a Huntsman after that, she didn't want to be the one responsible for taking lives. Instead, she wanted to be a person who would give others the ability to defend themselves when needed".

"Angie, I take it you remained in contact with her then." Qrow nodded as he somehow managed to find the strength to lift up his flask and pour it down his throat. At this moment in time, Nat was thankful for his much improved non-magical combat skills since coming to this world. He certainly wasn't at the level of a person in combat school, but he stood leaps and bounds compared to where he had been before he had entered this world. He just hoped that nothing would happen that would force him to use those skills.

"Yeah, the two of us kept the whole friends with benefits thing while the Vytal festival was on, but afterwards, we gave it up and became friends with discounts. She would charge me much lower, and when I'm in town, I do her some jobs. A fair trade all around, plus she's defiantly one of the best blacksmiths around. It's why I took you there kid, if you needed a weapon then I was going to take you to get the best I could rather than some cheap flimsy crap like you had before." Almost as if the man had managed to regain some strength from some type of drunk deity who loved to listen to sad stories, Qrow raised himself to his feet even if he was swaying quite a bit and grabbed the door handle.

"Do remember Qrow that if someone does find you attractive enough, that you find some other room to shag in. I'd rather not have to apply more magic in the room. Not to mention, I don't think either you or the girl that you manage to pull would appreciate another person present. I would also prefer not having to go to Mistral to get away from you and whatever activities you get up to" Qrow sent a drunken grin his way, a grin which was promptly followed by a couple of winks as if trying to convey some message about being drunk and horny.

"You should join me, it's really fun when you can find a nice girl. You see they have this certain" A flick of the wizard's wand sent the drunk huntsman flying from the room to crash into the wall opposite. Before the man had any time to react, the door was shut and locked. "You know kid you really need to lighten up a bit more. Sex is really fun you should try it, once you do you'll be hooked." There was no reply. "Oh well more for me, booze and ladies here I come"

"Off all the mentors I get, I get the one is never sober, at least I don't have to hear him mention about the best way to pleasure a girl again.. Anyway back to where I was, oh yeah, the evacuation of Dunkirk" His moment of peace didn't even last a minute before he spun his head to look out the window. He had just sensed the dark presence of Grimm within the city itself.

Peering out, he expected to maybe see the flash of red from their glowing menacing eyes, yet there was nothing besides the pitch black that the sandstorm had created. Focusing more on the presence of the dark monsters, he could work out that these were not weaker Grimm, but more powerful and larger ones. With a little more time he recognised them as Deathstalkers, only they felt different and they were not open the ground, but beneath it. Strangely, they were not heading towards any of the buildings in the city itself but were rather moving towards the huntsman academy.

They were going to try and get the relic he reasoned, with a sandstorm this bad, it allowed for a group to move easily without interference if they could withstand such brutal weather. Followed by the Deathstalkers he could sense, was another type of Grimm. Far less powerful and smaller, but it was still there.

He doubted that the Grimm would succeed, there weren't that many of them, and they would be trying to steal a priceless artefact from a school of huntsman and huntresses in training and those who were professional hunters. But the question was why, according to Qrow, Vacuo regularly received sandstorms, and while this one was one of the worst, it wasn't the first time it had happened. As such, the Grimm should have tried on multiple occasions to sneak into the school during a sandstorm yet didn't. There had to be another reason why they would try now all of a sudden.

Could it be that this was some kind of distraction to lure out the students in some kind of fake attack, or was it Salem's way of testing the defences of the school? Surely this attack was bound to fail. But, it could enable the woman to see how strong the defences of the school were so that when she planned her real attack she would know just what to do. Then again it could also be a group of rogue Grimm or maybe even the White Fang.

Vacuo would be the better first target to try and take down if the White Fang was truly committed to its declarations. It was isolated and in the middle of the desert, added to this it was the weakest financially of all the kingdoms and the less of a kingdom. The only thing it had going for it, was the large number of dust mines, however, those were controlled by the Schnee Company and Atlas. Both groups likely had layers of defences to fend off such an attack from the White Fang.

Whatever it was, Nat felt uncomfortable at not investigating this scenario. If anything was happening, then it would be best to try and deal with it now before anything else happens. And if not, then it was still better to be safe than sorry. With that said, he quickly put his laptop away and attached all of his new weapons in the right place. Afterwards, he began to cast some spells on not only himself but also on his clothes.

The standard enchantments were of high quality, but there was no telling what would happen while he was out there. If he was to enter a sandstorm on foot, then he would have all the proper enchantments ready. As for Qrow, he would let the man drink and have fun downstairs. Even if this attack was some ploy to get him away from the man, then it wouldn't work as he had already planted a portkey on the man when he wasn't looking. Also, anyone attempting to kidnap would require the sandstorm to stop before getting away. So if Raven was attempting to kidnap her brother, all it would take would be for the automated portkey to activate would be for Qrow to recognise the threat and things would be fine.

On the other hand, there was also the possibility that if this was a diversion than they could be after him. He was the only one who was currently sober, well sober enough to fight anyway. Qrow despite his drunken habits was an incredibly fierce warrior to be able to pull off the manoeuvres he had shown in combat without any problem. It was only when the man was truly pissed and was of the opinion that he was in safe company that he would get to the point of exposing himself. Also, the man had mentioned once or twice that despite his seriousness, Qrow trusted him enough to help him in not only normal combat, but also to look after him when he was exposed.

It was good to be trusted by the man since it allowed him to learn not only more about the man but by extension see just what types of threats he was dealing in this new world. The trust he had, also equated to potential power. With Qrows trust in him, it meant that when he eventually met the other members of their little group, that Ozpin and the others might listen to suggestions he might have. But the real prize would be access to Ironwood.

If he could get on the general's good side, then perhaps there would be many advantages to doing so. An information network would be one, knowing which groups were more dangerous and what were potential hotspots as well as maybe access to better weaponry was of a huge advantage. Then there was the fact that he perhaps he could find himself under the political protection of the man, giving him the ability to act more freely without fear of reprisal. After that was the fact, that he might be able to get the man to do things for him by offering the occasional favour, magic could do many things that technology couldn't or could but at a lower state. For instance, if the man needed to extract some useful information from a person's head in return for some political help, then both people gained. Or perhaps, if the man needed to enter a rather secure place, or unlock some type of non-magical vault, either a quick apparition or a simple unlocking charm could easily earn his way to quite a decent amount of cash.

But for now, he had to focus on the task at hand; and that task was the potential invasion of a small group of deathstalkers trying to claw their way to Shade academy as sneakily as possible. Too bad for them, that they hadn't counted in a dimension-hopping wizard. With that said, he triple checked his spells before remembering what the path outside the building had looked like before this pitch-black sandstorm and apparated.

 **xxxxx**

In what appeared to be a hurricane of howling wind and blasting sand, Nat was a bubble unscathed and untouched in the centre. Thankfully he didn't glow like some alien, Nat could only imagine the types of reactions he would get if people just saw this strange humanoid being glowing whilst walking through a sandstorm. Despite this though, if somebody was able to see him then he would have stood out boldly if not for his invisibility spell. His clothes stayed straight and neatly pressed while his long bright blonde hair remained combed down his back. Also this time, he didn't have Merlin dammed sand flying into his mouth everywhere he stepped. In fact on the measure of sand, he had enough of the bloody stuff, in the words of Anakin Skywalker. "I hate sand its course and its rough and it gets fucking everywhere. I just hope that nothing major is going on so that the two of us can leave this magic forsaken shit pile of a kingdom."

Happier thoughts of Mistral came to mind, he wasn't a fan of hot weather, but compared to now being in the centre of a fucking sandstorm blowing at Merlin knows how many miles per hour. But considering the fact that it was starting to rip off the roofs of some houses, made him seriously wish that he was still recovering back at Pyrrha's with him regularly getting his ass handed to him. At least there, things were relatively calm.

The sounds of another rooftop lighting off were then followed by screams of small children in the distance. More than likely Nat thought that they would be killed by the sand buffeting their bodies, he didn't exactly know how a sandstorm killed people, but he could gather that it would not be pleasant. Except for his thoughts on the deaths of the people he couldn't see turn worse when he felt the presence of even more Grimm approaching. Deathstalkers, beowulfs, king Taijutsu and more were rapidly approaching from the opposing direction. It wasn't hard to realise, that this attack had been planned, the bloody creatures were using it for cover to attack people before they even knew what happened.

There was also no defence from such an attack, the sandstorm was worsening, preventing anyone from hearing smelling or seeing anything that was going on. In fact, most people thought that it was just a normal sandstorm and were waiting it out happily in their homes unaware of the total danger. Qrow was one of those people, and unfortunately, he couldn't rely on the man for back up as he was far too drunk and Nat hadn't exactly been carrying potion ingredients on him to create a sobriety potion.

However that got him analysing the situation, the tactics of the Grimm were being planned in waves, first, the deathstalkers advancing forward to the school as quietly as they could, and then the main force which would keep everyone distracted. All of these relied on the weather, but even to his knowledge, Grimm just couldn't decide to do something this organised with their behaviour meaning that something ad organised them. And if something had organised them, it meant that there was a possibility that this something was controlling the weather.

It was a possible theory, this world had Maidens and one of them could be here now and was far enough away that he couldn't sense their power. Or it could be some type of Grimm that was creating the storm or perhaps something more sentient like a human or Faunus. This attack could be created using dust or aura, which would also make sense as to why he couldn't sense any magic in the air. But this storm could also be natural and the Grimm just had brilliant sensing techniques to pull this thing off. All he knew, was that if this was being orchestrated by someone, then they might be using some sort of method to control the storm.

If he could disable the storm, then people will have their sense's restored metaphorically, and the warriors of the kingdom could come out and do the main fighting. Still, it relied on the storm being disabled, and that was even if it was possible. In which case, if his theory was correct, then he still had to work out where the storm was originating from, and the best way to do that would be a powerful magical pulse. If he did such a thing, then there was no way of knowing how the grim would react or how the technology of this place would react. He was able to control the damage done to electrical systems to a minimum with careful control, but a powerful burst of magic wouldn't allow for that and would disable the electrical systems.

He didn't waste any time, he called up the magic in his core, allowing it to build up to a very powerful pulse before sending it out at rapid speed. Like Sonar on a submarine, he began to get a very clear view of everything around him going on for several miles. He could see the multiple old homes and the people inside them relaxing, he could also feel the presence of the students in Shade academy, but as the powerful wave kept pushing, he felt more and more Grimm, in fact, it was a very large army of Grimm just waiting behind the dunes, and then he located it.

In the centre back of the army, located high upon a sand dune was some strange Grim he had never encountered, more powerful than most. They seemed to be snake-like in their form, except with huge wings which were pushing incredibly powerful blasts of winds that sent sandstorms scattering in Vacuo's direction. He wasn't able to tell what shades they were, this magical pulse gave him 3D information, but that didn't include the colour. But he didn't need to know that these Grimm were huge.

The snake parts had to be about two hundred metres in length, the total wingspan of both wings was at least double that allowing these Grimm to kick up such a storm. What was worse was that this huge Grim was guarded by many other Grimm as well as one or two Faunus or humans. With the threat identified, that left him with the problem of having to deal with a Grimm of such power.

He was nowhere near skilled enough to take the creature down with either a rifle or a sword. As for his magic, while it could work there was always the possibility that with such a large organised group of Grimm, that information on his powers could be sent back by some type of spy Grimm. He soon came to a solution.

Grabbing a few grenades, he used magic to slice the top of them before expanding their internal dimensions by quite a significant margin. Once this was done, he quickly pulled out his small containers of powdered dust. He went instantly for fire, with it being the most explosive; it had the effect he wanted on such a large creature. It was just a shame that despite dust being useful, from what he had seen, dust grenades weren't that powerful and not a comparison to the damage done by grenades back home. Well, he wasn't entirely sure, he only had TV to go to on that front. Either way, whether it was fire dust gunpowder or whatever was used in modern grenades if he was able to shove enough of it down a Grimm's throat and make it explode, then the fight would be over.

He continued to pour more and more fire dust into his recently create grenades, in total he spent about five straight minutes filling five grenades in total all at the same time. Afterwards, he used magic to fix the lids back onto the grenades and then use magic to change the colour of said grenades. It was better to be safe than sorry, he would rather not accidentally lob the wrong grenade and destroy everything in a future possible firelight with some other type of foe. As such the more powerful grenades were then turned dark red with a yellow strip.

Now that he was sure of his plan, he apparated to where he had felt the giant Grimm before during his magical pulse. If things went wrong and the grenades didn't don't work, then he could always go for a larger dose, wither for an internal or external strike. The latter of which would require some exceptionally powerful grenades that with time, he could make rival a nuclear bomb. Of course, something of that magnitude would likely take months of constant fire dust pouring to create. And the idea of creating a dust equivalent nuclear bomb was not exactly a pleasant one.

 **xxxxx**

From his new position in the sky, Nat could see what he had felt only moments ago. The area was still thick with dust and was difficult to see. But unlike the pitch black of Vacuo, shapes and colours could be made out, especially from his higher up position mostly out of the way of this gigantic winged snake creature.

Despite apparating to a high up position, Nat couldn't exactly fly. Sure some families had that knowledge, but like his own family magic, that was kept secret and the old flying in a poof of smoke had been lost during the wizarding war. None of the members of the Phoenix had ever bothered to either write it down or teach it to Potter and pals. Therefore he only had a brief few moments to snap a picture of the giant snake winged Grimm before ultimately he was plummeting albeit invisibly in front of the giant things teeth.

Without any hesitation or doubt, as he fell mere millimetres from the roaring Grimms mouth, he threw his five grenades directly into the throat of the creature before then apparating back to the room in the pub he was staying. The Grimm, however, wasn't so lucky. At first, the creature choked slightly like a human would when they had just swallowed a fly that had flown directly down its gullet. With the choking, the winds began to die down rapidly as the Grimm concerned itself with more pressing matters.

"What are you doing you, stupid creature, don't sto-"

BOOM

A shock wave of several magnitudes blasted from the inside of the Grimm, like an erupting volcano, the explosion could not be contained. The initial blast not only would have turned the grim into nothing but a bloody mess if their bodies had been human, but left a crater five metres deep into the ground and had blasted back anything near it. The humanoids who had been controlling the Grimm were hit by the blast so quickly that they were sent colliding through the air like a rocket, their aura severely damaged before plunking into the sand. The nearby Grimm weren't so lucky, those that had been incredibly close, were also dead as their internal organs were liquefied by the shock blast. The majority that was on the edge of the shockwave though, had it worse. They lay on the floors panting with pain as they waited for their miserable lives to end as they died slowly but agonisingly. They had not been killed quickly by the flying snake, or by being close to it, instead, they had a good chunk of their organs pulverised, but not so much that they couldn't feel the pain as they joined with the entity that had created them.

"Here's your drink sir. And can I say it's nice having such a wonderful customer such as yourself" Qrow smirked drunkenly as he looked at the pretty waitress who had walked up to him, her eyes were flickering more than they should do, but he didn't notice that in his drunk state? Instead, he was very much enjoying the view as he accepted the drink happily and looked up at the girl attempting to give his best seductive smile.

"You are a really beautiful woman did you know that. Like really beautiful, I've travelled around the world, and there are very few women as beautiful as you. You would be good as an actress" To Qrows credit, the girl did blush at the compliment, normally she would just receive lustful leers from her customers and the occasional one might touch her. But this man was far kinder, he complimented her in a non-sexual way, and he gave some rather good tips.

"I bet you say that to all the girls you meet" Instantly Qrow looked like he had been offended and attempted to shake his hands to refuse the claim. Instead due to his drunken state, the dizziness his hands caused confused him to the point that he slammed his head on the table. Still, he smiled and looked upwards.

"No, no no, you're really pretty and the kid can prove it to you" Forgetting that the huntsman had let the kid in the room, he began looking around for the magic blonde haired little shit. Only he couldn't see him. He grinned at the waitress. "He can turn invisible; he's just trying to hide the serious prude. So young and doesn't even want to meet pretty girls or drink booze".

"Well, I'll take your word for it then. Anyway if you want more don't forget to call and ask. Oh, looks like the sandstorms clearing up that's good" A few hard knocks of the door was heard by the mainly drunk patrons of the club although a good chunk didn't hear anything at all due to hos noisy it had gotten. "Excuse me sir" Moving towards the door, Qrow allowed his eyes to wander to the short skirt the barmaid was wearing and smiled, he then began mumbling about how he was in heaven and that he should thank Oz for this assignment instead of teaching at some boring ass school for kids who knew nothing of the world.

"Welcome to" The poor waitress didn't have chance to continue before a vicious claw smacked her around the head and into the floor, everything went silent before a scream was heard from a small child as they shouted Grimm.

"Oh shit, I need to get" Slamming down back on the table, Qrow struggled to get up, it was at this point that he wished he was only "combat drunk", If he had been, then he would have been able to kick the ass of the Grimm with incredible skill and ease. Instead, he was pissed out of his mind, collapsed on the floor drunk. He tried to get up onto his feet, but he wasn't having any luck in that department instead falling flat on his face again, to his front, he saw that the waitress was lying in a pool of her own blood, her fate was not known yet. As for the other people in the bar, they didn't have weapons on them or weren't close enough before the Beowulf leapt forward.

Shots an out in the pub and straight away the results were seen as the Beowulf dropped to the ground a few holes in its body, the creature dissolving into a black mist that soon scattered. Looking upwards, Qrow took in the marksman and smiled drunkenly at him. "Good shot kid, now kill the others" Almost as if on cue, more Grimm began to pour towards the door of the bar, only for them to be filled full of lead by a powerful assault rifle and the wizard who was using it. Seeing that his mentor was not in a condition to fight, Nat turned towards those who looked like they could fight and began to give some orders.

"Anyone who can fight, everyone else bar the door and only come out when its safe. I would also suggest leaving two fighters here just in case" From down below, one of the huntsman glared up at the child who was certainly not of the age where he would be in an academy let alone the fact that he appeared to come from Atlas.

"And why should we follow the words of some Atlesian cunt. For all, we know you're the one who set the Grimm on the city. This is likely some scheme so that you bastards can demand reparations or some shit, well screw that you and the rest of you Atlas scum can go fuck yourself. In fact, why don't we just leave you to face the Grimm alone" Despite his drunken stupor, Qrow could recognise the potential damage that could be done, there was a grim attack in progress and a huntsman wanted to kill his protégé.

Instead of answering the question, Nat leapt down to the floor and rushed towards the side of the waitress who had been injured. Due to the situation, he didn't risk using magic, but he didn't particularly have to do so considering how obvious her wound was. A large claw mark was stretched from the bottom of her chin over her right eye, all of which was badly damaged and bleeding profusely. "I need bandages and pure alcohol to clean the wounds if anyone can sow or has equipment get here now. If not, then help me carry her to the local doctor she needs urgent attention if she doesn't, then she'll die" The Huntsman snarled and went for his weapon.

"Atlesian trash ordering me around, why don't I show you your place" Before the huntsman's axe could be drawn, however, another huntress had pulled out her weapon and aimed it squarely at the huntsman's chest her eyes constantly moving to the injured girl. "What are you doing you stupid woman, this Atlesian trash has to be taught a lesson about who they don't own the entire world.

"Do that and she dies, everyone else make a decision, either help the boy, and get what he needs, or go out and defend our kingdom". There was a flurry of movement for people as they accepted the order from one of their fellow Vacuish people. Soon a group of huntsman had formed and rushed out the door and began screaming war cries, which were soon drowned out by the sound of the Grimm alarm blasting from Shade Academy.

"Here boy" Catching the bottle of vodka by instinct, he gave an internal groan as he looked at the drink. The problem if he was honest, was that he didn't have a clue what to do to heal such bad wounds in the muggle way. With magic, it was a quick few a spells to get rid of infection, stem the wounds and knit the skin back together so there was no scar. In Muggle terms, he didn't know besides the fact that bandages had to be applied to try and stop the bleeding. For all he knew, pouring vodka on a wound as he was doing right this instant, could have a worse effect. But since nobody else was volunteering to do anything, then the girl's life laid in his hands. With a quick snip of the bandages that he wrapped around the girls entire head besides leaving a part open for her to breath, there was nothing he could do for her without the use of magic. With that done, the girl was picked up by some members of the public who following him were able to rush her to a doctor. He would be told the following day, that the girl had died a few minutes after arriving. Then again, so did hundreds of other people making the girl just one in a casualty count.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly for the wizard, he soon joined a bunch of Vacuo citizens and began to fight the invading hordes of Grimm. For r brief few moments, there was some distrust but after fighting together, they didn't care only glad that they had another person with them fighting the monsters which were attempting to kill them and had already killed others. It was during this day, that he could truly say was the most intense day he had ever felt, more so than during the times he had fought other duellists with his potential life on the lines.

This day he had gone from house to house checking up on survivors, escorting others to places and back or fighting on the front line to push the horde back. It was brutal, the number of dead bodies laying on the floor with large pools of blood that stained the old kingdom, the occasional sight of from snacking on a dead body tearing their entrails apart or just chewing on their arms. Once he had rounded the corner to see some poor dear Faunus be pulled apart as two beowolves yanked her from opposite directions. He had killed them, but it wouldn't be the first time he would see such a sight.

It was also during this time, that he was incredibly grateful to the man who had been training him, while he never allowed himself to engage a Grimm in close combat, he did use the man's lessons to keep an even better eye on his surroundings. It kept him alive, even as the rest of the squad he was with were mauled to death one by one until he was eventually on his own before joining the front lines.

More than likely, it must have been strange for the few people he was with to see a young kid who wouldn't even be in shade fighting alongside them, And while they were covered in blood and guts, the wizard stayed perfectly clean due to the enhancements. After about half an hour though, the Calvary of shade students arrived being led by their teachers. From there they cleaved their way through the upcoming hordes relieving the civilians dealing the biggest blow to the enemy. They didn't leave any Grimm alive as they tried to retreat from the city.

The Next day

"How are ya kid" Moving slowly, Qrow with his weapon on his back came and sat down next to his young student. He was currently sitting on one of the destroyed buildings out of sight for all but Qrow with the use of magic. From in front of them, they could see people going about their daily business in Vacuo. Some people were mourning, and nobody had a happy face on them. Instead, a grim look was plastered amongst all as they already began to rebuild their homes, at the same time, bodies were not only being identified but being buried or cremated with those who knew them in attendance. As for the kid though, he had a piece of black fabric in his hands.

The fabric made Qrow wonder for a brief few seconds, but then his eyes widened as the kid moved in revealing the symbol of none other than Salem on it. The huntsman narrowed his eyes at that, he had suspected the attack was something more when he had become sober enough to do so, yet he hadn't really thought that the woman would do such a thing. Yet the symbol in the boy's hand said otherwise.

"When I disabled the storm, there were two people there. I didn't get a good enough look at them, but I returned to the are once things were secure and searched the area. I found this. I've used magic to try and backtrace where its been, it's too recently worn for it to be of any real value to its owner allowing me to track down them down But the past location is still fair game." Qrow perked up at that, now was one of the times that he was rather glad that he had picked up the kid, he made it a lot easier to track people.

"So where are we going kid, some town on the outskirts?" In reply, the wizard brought up a map of the world with a red dot blinking in the centre at the north of the map. Qrow sighed as he saw the kingdom that they were going to, Vale he could move easier in, as Ozpin wouldn't be instantly looking for him. Ironwood wood though was another matter.

"Better pack your winter clothes because our future is likely going to involve a whole lot of snow. Still on the Brightside, at least we get to see penguins. I will have to keep you hidden quite a bit, but still Penguins". Qrow sighed again as he was truly hit with the fact that he was going to have to go up north where the people behaved arrogantly and it was cold as hell, it was one of his least favourite areas to visit. Nat though apparently wanted to visit the penguins, he didn't know if there were any since he hadn't seen any, but there was always a chance that they might run into the small black and white creatures.

"Do you have anything on them besides their location, the reason for the attack or any contacts" Nat shook his head as he thought back to the brutal battle. It wasn't the first time he had seen a person die, on Earth he had seen a competitor be killed in the duelling ring for their negligence, but here he had already seen death on a large scale. The battle with the bandits had been short, but it had confirmed that this world was one that he was not used to, the constant danger from Grimm was something he was more familiar with now thanks to this battle.

"I was more concerned with taking out that Grimm and the sandstorm still blurred the two leaders, I felt that dealing with the grim was the more immediate threat to the kingdom. Afterwards, I didn't exactly want to draw too much attention to myself by being gone most of the battle so I retreated back to the pub. Speaking of which, we need to leave soon; I'd rather not have the headmaster of Shade recognising us and giving away our cover. It would be best if we leave now if you're comfortable". Nat didn't stretch out his hand, but instead, he continued to sit down waiting as Qrow decided to join him, the two of them looking over Vacuo together.

"You did good work yesterday kid, probably saved quite a few people with your quick thinking. And while you're still not good enough for a combat school. You're getting there. A few more months' with me in the wild and you'll be way ahead of your peers and not making stupid mistakes like they do. You won't believe how many enter beacon and still having to go through the combat motions in their head, amateur. You can always tell the good students from the bad students on the first day, you don't want to be one of the bad one's kid. They get all sorts of extra homework, with our job you can't afford to be lazy in your studies. Which is why you're lucky you get me, a qualified huntsman to take you around the world?"

"You'd be a bit more useful if you could stay sober. However, we've likely sent some type of message today. Ozpin and the others will investigate the attacks and Salem will likely wonder what happened to her little monsters" Qrow gave a dejected sigh at that, he had thought that he could cheer the kid up. After all, he remembered Summer after her first death, she had been silent for a time. He wanted to ensure that his student wasn't in a bad place or still in shock with what had happened. Thankfully, the wizard didn't seem affected at all by the deaths of hundreds of people, or the fact that the kids fast thinking had likely saved the lives of hundreds more by destroying that Grimm preventing the disaster from escalating.

"Yeah well, we all have to have some time off again Mr Serious. We live a dangerous life, at any moment you could find yourself on the wrong end of some Grimm, you really need to find a hobby to take your mind off things, Next bar we go to, speak to a pretty waitress and flirt, you might even be able to get a good time. Dust knows that the girls love a big bad Huntsman"

"I do have a hobby, it's called reading and writing. You should try it, it keeps the mind active but relaxed. I can also go longer than a few seconds before I'm done" Qrows eyebrows' ent up before he grinned but then mock-complained about his student joking about his performance when it came to bedroom activities. What the man didn't know, was that Nat had already packed Qrows equipment, so as soon as he lunged and touched the kid, the kid apparated. Seconds later the huntsman would land face first in several feet of snow. From where he would then shout"

"Fuck Its cold"

Kingdom of Vale

Beacon Academy

"So what did the headmaster of Shade say" Looking concernedly at her friend, Glynda Goodwitch asked about how the kingdom of Vacuo was doing. They had heard of the attack almost instantly and had been keeping in touch since then.

"There's over four hundred dead from the storm and Grimm, but other than that most people are fine although the CCT towers will be going down soon for repair. Other than that, the students that had arrived early at the campus got a bit of early battle experience and there was no severe damage done. It seems that the attack was blunted a bit, by all reckoning, the sandstorm should have lasted longer due to these snake winged Grimm. Someone one managed to kill it before things got really bad" Ozpins face was one of deep concern as his mind went over the events that had happened the previous day.

"That's good the damage that could have been done would have been immense, will we still receive Shades students at the Vytal festival" Joining her friend in a drink of hot cocoa, Glynda looked at her own kingdom sparking down below, over four hundred people had been killed in Vacuo, she hoped nothing happened to Vale.

"I see no reason s to not continue the festivities, Salem may have made her first move, but she is more than likely testing our defences, as the weakest and isolated of all the Kingdoms, Vacuo was certainly the best target. Now, all we can do is hope that our good friend Qrow can get us some more information. In the meantime, we have a school to run soon" Glynda blinked.

"What are you using for relics this year sir" Ozpin smiled again, looking to his right was a chess board, he and Glynda ha been playing a while until the news of Vacuo's attack had come in. As of now, the pieces were still where they left them, waiting to be moved until the game was finished.

"Since we are currently in the middle of a very strategic moment, I decided that chess pieces would be appropriate. I just wonder how tactical our new first-year students will be. With this crisis, I think we will need to step up the training more than ever"

"Well we have Miss Schnee, Miss Nikos, Miss Xiao Long and Miss Belladonna alongside Miss Valkyrie and Mr Ren" Ozpin quickly brought up their application files and gave a slight smile as he imagined the future chaos that these students would bring.

"Well at least this new year won't be boring"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

 **Magic and Remnant**

Chapter 12

Kingdom of Atlas

Nat liked snow. Snow wasn't sand, the snow did not get in uncomfortable places and blast into a person's eyes making them spit it out at the first moment they had. Snow was also a far more beautiful substance when it snowed there was a general feeling of tranquilly as he watched it fall gently to the ground. It was calm and relaxing and a nice thing to read to. It was when snow fell and cold temperatures were abundant, that he liked to witch out his tea for hot chocolate.

This was exactly what he was doing at this current moment in time. Sitting down comfortably in some cafe, with a hot chocolate that had marshmallows, whipped cream, a small amount of cocoa powder and a nice wafer biscuit. In front of him, was his laptop that he was casually typing away writing his book? It was a far different experience to the ones he had a week ago when he had left that godforsaken desert.

He blended in well with the local inhabitants of this snowy kingdom, his pale complexion which was partly due to some Swedish ancestry in his grandparents, enabled him to look like anyone else. His choice of dark colours he had noticed, was a bit odd for the average inhabitant who preferred lighter clothing especially in either white, light blue or light grey. Not that he cared about it, but Qrow had stated that his purely black clothing seemed to highlight his paleness and eyes more then the average Artesian whose lighter clothes seemed to try and give off a uniform colour in appearance. Why Qrow had started to give him fashion advice, he didn't know. But ultimately despite blending in, he could see a few appreciative glances his way, not for his actual looks, he was still rather plain and never dressed fancy. Yet the looks were more about his clothing and the way that as Qrow had said that they highlighted his pale complexion, he seriously hoped he hadn't started some kind of fashion trend.

On the matter of the Huntsman, he was hunting down one of the other suspects they had. Upon arriving at Atlas, the two of them had a far more relaxed time than in Vacuo where there was more of a rush. The two of them had subtly paid for a room in one of the less visited areas of the Northern Kingdom. Qrow wished to try and keep things as hidden and quiet as possible, not something that was easily done when there were constant soldiers walking around with their weapons bared.

Nat had already looked into the mind of one the higher ranking soldiers; there were no standing orders or instructions to look for Qrow Brawen. However, that didn't mean that there might not be someone about who might be looking for the Huntsman just in case. For this reason, Qrow and he had decided that it was in the best interests if they stayed apart from one another and had paid for their owns separate rooms, alongside never speaking to each other.

If Ironwood caught wind that Qrow was in town, then the general would likely storm down and ask Qrow what he knew. If the general discovered that Qrow now had some sort of apprentice following him around, then the General wouldn't buy any type of lie that Nat wasn't special and was just some random kid he had found. Rather Ironwood would suspect that he was some sort of spy. If not then despite his rather plain features, his long hair might make Ironwood think that Qrow had discovered one of the maidens and was protecting her by making her dress like a boy, of course, that theory would fall apart rather quickly. Still, Nat didn't like the idea of having strangers trying to feel up his crotch to see if he was pulling some sort of elaborate stunt. And seriously, he might have long hair which he took good care off, but he certainly neither didn't act like a girl nor dress like one.

The idea of him in a dress was rather ludicrous, yet also an idea of how to embarrass Qrow if he kept going on about the way he acted towards attractive girls. He could just picture the man's embarrassment at having to wear a bright sundress in the middle of the northern kingdom while snow was falling. If YouTube existed in this universe than he was sure he would get a few views.

Either way though, once Ironwood suspected that Qrow might be hiding a Spring Maiden or a person who might be connected to the spring maidens; Or even worse, that he actually knew the existence of his past Nat though. Then if he couldn't wipe the general's mind fast enough, that the general would demand he stay in Atlas for proper training and to become a citizen of the northern kingdom. Not that I'd work, they may have advanced technology that can deal with aura and dust, but his magic still acted like an EMP. Or a simpler way to deal with the problem would be to apparate to the other side of the planet.

Atlas while powerful in this world, was nothing compared to back home where they had vast amounts of technology for not only war but for tracking a person down. Satellites were one thing, sure they aren't anywhere near as useful as tracking magical's because their gone one moment and appear the next, but a lot of places on Earth has security cameras. He wouldn't think it would be too difficult for some government to hack the cameras in other countries, or use the agents and assets stationed nearby, or to contact the local authorities to help look for people or even to put them on Interpol or some other type of way of trying to track a person down.

Earth had practically reached the point, where the government would nearly always be able to track down a person. Safe spots were in very remote places, and the average muggle would eventually have to move toward some kind of muggle store to buy some basic goods to start their new life. And even if there was no credit card used, the facial recognition software back home was reportedly tapped into every single camera for police purposes to help recognise criminals at a faster rate. Magical's didn't need to buy equipment if they were trained enough, but they might have to buy seeds or to wipe the memories of a person who might accidentally stumble across their little camp. And if not, then their money would eventually run out forcing a person to rob a person and then they would get reported or seen on camera and then police were on them.

Remnant in contrast just didn't have the global infrastructure yet alone people needed to be able to constantly monitor people. All Nat needed to do would be to find some nice place to set up shop, and apparate to the other side of the world if he ever needed to go shopping. Even if Atlas did see where he was arriving, then they would move their forces to the wrong continent. Despite this, however, Nat would very much prefer it if he wasn't forced into hiding by some general in the military.

So to prevent some elaborate plan and hunt by a military, Nat was separated from Qrow while they were in the northern kingdom hunting down anyone connected in the slightest to Salem. Qrow had decided that he would go talk to a few friends of his which meant combing the back alleys and staying out of sight, while he became the public face of the two of them. That led to why he was in a nice small cafe in Atlas enjoying the atmosphere in the crowded yet rather quiet cafe waiting for his target to walk in so that he could subtly read the man's mind and learn their secrets.

A plan that was working perfectly fine as he waited, even as two of the most famous people in the entire kingdom walked through the doors. A deafening silence became rather prominent as two women walked through the door of the cafe and marched towards the kid manning the counter. The guy looked and blushed slightly as he saw the beauty of none other than the two daughters of the infamous Jacques Schnee the leader of the Schnee dust company.

The younger girl, who Nat remembered was called Weiss looked at the cafe with a small amount of disgust, especially as she saw quite a few people give her some leery looks. The girl was seventeen and would very likely be shipping off to Beacon within a few hours if she hoped to arrive on time, though to do so, she would have to take what was most likely by the equivalent of a private jet. The girl would likely be considered beautiful, and with her light blue skirt and top that had the symbol of her family on it, added with her long hair and pale complexion not to mention the thing but fit figure and the rather delicately shaped facial features, she very much looked like some type of ice princess.

The other girl was obviously her sister who worked in the Atlas Military. Something that was shown since unlike Weiss who seemed to be panting slightly as if she had done quite a bit of physical exertion, the older sister was perfectly fine. The woman's military training showed as he caught her looking around the cafe for any type of spy or attacker. Nat seriously doubted such an attack would occur when there was someone of her calibre around, especially as she had her weapons on her person.

Despite recognising who they were and the type of threat that the older sister was, he quickly moved his eyes back to his laptop although occasionally allowing them to flicker left and right as he searched for his target. He had tracked down a thief the night before who seemed to be involved in the whole thing, once he had read the mind of the thief, he was subjected to the memories of someone who was more important. Apparently, this person chose different locations to meet with the thief preventing anyone from tracking him down, the same went for covering his face.

That was the problem with point-me magic, they were brilliant when a person had a recognisable face, but it didn't work with just clothing. Had the thief's contact revealed his face then he would have cast the spell and ganged up on the man in the dark all alone with the aid of magic. Without it, then the spell wouldn't work, it was similar in a sense if a person wanted to keep a magical map of all the nuclear submarines in the world. Just using the term nuclear submarine or even knowing the type of submarine wasn't enough, instead one needed to have a better look at the ship, to know the minute differences for it to work. The spell didn't require a great amount of detail, but it was why items were a lot harder to detect than a person, well besides when it came to identical twins. If a person couldn't tell the difference between identical twins, then the point me spell was generally useless, as it often ended up pointing to the wrong twin.

Henceforth, he was here in this nice cafe waiting in the corner for what was supposed to be the contact. Once the contact arrived, it was a simple job of waiting for the man to reveal his face and a quick look in the man's eyes before he had all the information he needed and he could continue on this little mission of theirs to track down the people connected to Salem. Something that would make the contact easy to recognise, would be that he would come in at a certain time and sit at a certain table.

Unfortunately, his nice alone relaxing time was disrupted a few minutes later when the two women of the Schnee family walked up to his table. Weiss looked uncomfortable, and Winter was looking at him with an expectant gaze as if he was going to salute her at any moment but had forgotten. He didn't salute in the slightest, but he did have a very good idea of what the two of them wanted.

"Winter we can always find somewhere else to eat" The rest of the cafe despite being relatively quiet as people enjoyed their food or drink, was quite packed at the moment. Not that it was that much of a surprise considering that it was lunchtime currently. But with a packed cafe and two sisters who apparently wanted to find somewhere to place their food down and eat, that left Nat's table as the only one with any spare room left.

"Excuse me, young man, would you mind if my sister and I sat at your table. Under most circumstances, Nat would either give two responses, the first would be that he would leave if he was already finished, and the other would be a lie saying that he was excepting someone. Only this time neither of those worked, and he needed to be in the cafe to ensure he was there when the contact eventually revealed himself. With how influential the Schnee family was, there was always the possibility that Winter might look for nonexistent files about who he was due to any apparent rudeness When she discovered that there were no files, hen questions would start to be asked especially when they started to wonder how he had managed to get past customs without anyone realising it or any video evidence.

"Help yourself" Gesturing towards the table, the elder Schnee gave a polite nod of thank you and sat down next to him, while Weiss sat opposite her which also made her sit opposite to him. That was when they began talking.

"Weiss, say thank you it's polite to do so in such a situation" There was a small pained look on Weiss's face as she heard the instructions of her older sister. A pained look which ultimately vanished as soon as Winter narrowed her eyes the slightest bit forcing Weiss to put up a fake smile as she turned her head to the person who had allowed her and her sister to sit opposite him.

"Thank you for allowing us to sit at your table" Looking back at her older sister, Weiss was given a simple nod to recognise that she had done the right thing. Immediately afterwards, Weiss turned back to the wizard and looked at the laptop in a bit of confusion. She couldn't recognise the machine, as not only a person raised in Atlas, meaning that she lived in the most technologically advanced nation in the world, she was also the heiress of the Schnee dust company which meant that her father regularly made deals with companies to supply dust fir their machines. One of the many ways that companies tried to get on her father's good side, was to leave free tech pieces or either her or for her father, the one in front of her wasn't anything like she had seen.

It certainly wasn't a scroll, scrolls were far less bulky than the contraption the boy used, not to mention they were also see through and made of what looked like glass in the centre. This machine wasn't anything like that, it had no sort of holographic projector for its keyboard or was even a touch screen considering that the boy was using some type of device to the side to move things around. It was unbelievably primitive to what she was used to. Yet despite the strange device and the boy's fingers which seemed to blaze all over the keyboard, the device was keeping up with what the boy was typing.

"Uhm what's that, I've never seen such a primitive machine before, where did you find that piece of junk" Winter gave Weiss a sharp look at the lack of manners that the girl had used. Despite this, the special task force member looked interested herself in the device and began reading what the boy was typing although most of it utterly confused her.

"It's called a laptop computer, rather popular in what used to be my village and was created by some kid who was really into electronics. He and the rest of the village are dead now, this Is the last one in the world. " A horrified guilty look was etched onto Weisse's face as she realised what she had just done, it was somewhat amusing and if Qrow had been here, then he would have likely taken a picture to see. The man didn't like the Schnee family since he considered them to be stuck up and arrogant just like the rest of the high society. Personally, Nat preferred rich and stuck up, it was better than being in some type of anarchist system in the middle of some godforsaken desert in the ass end of nowhere.

"Oh I'm so sorry I didn't mean to offend" Nat shook his head as he met the girls gaze, then he moved it to the girls scar briefly. He wasn't any kind of doctor let alone an expert, but scars were supposed to heal unless something major was done. For an ice princess, she had a rather large scar on the side of her face, looking into her memories on the subject, it was revealed that her father had abused her. The reason for such damage, was due to the White Fangs attack and the girl had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time with her father, hence he had hit her to try and deal with his anger management.

Word had obviously not gotten out about the abuse that the girl suffered from, in his world if such abuse or anything similar was just even mentioned in the media, then that person's life and their company was ruined. It was one of the many reasons why he had no respect for the media and hated those who worked in the industry. In his own personal belief, the public had no right to know anything about some sort of celebrity or assumed allegations, as soon a something happened whether it was true or false, the simple act of accessing someone fucked up everything for the accused. In all honesty, he was in favour of the main US Republican candidate for the 2028 presidency's plan to place severe restrictions on media.

It was gaining a lot of controversies, but a lot of people did support the act. It didn't prevent independent news outlets from working, but rather to deal with the massive problems that the public faced due to biased information and untrue stories, it would force all news networks on TV to have a fair and balanced approach to reporting. The same thing would go for reporting on the trials and crimes of people until a person had been charged guilty of a crime and sentenced, then the News would not be allowed to report on it to prevent the massive mob law that followed. Suffice to say, both sides didn't like the idea with Democrats especially hating it since they controlled the mainstream media, but others who had known people's lives to be wrecked or just didn't trust the media at all saw it as a possible new chance for media itself.

Of course, it would never be put into place, there was too much hatred from both sides to prevent that type of thing from going through from both sides. But it was always the left-leaning side who were the most vocal about it, if only because they could be since they refused to give anyone from the opposing side the right to defend their beliefs. It would still be nice though, to actually listen to news which wasn't extremely biased one way or the other, and to just be given the facts of the scenario rather than some political narrative.

Even despite the situation with Weiss's father, he would still defend his beliefs in that if there was a charge of abuse levelled at the man, that it should not be reported to stop the mob mentality. He also didn't agree with random jury people, in theory, they were supposed to be non-biased, but a professional set of jurors would be better than random sods of the street.

But that was neither here nor there; instead, as he pulled out of the girl's memories, he noticed that the girl seemed rather excited to attend Beacon. It was a call of freedom to her, the ability to be away way from her father and spread her wings figuratively. Her sister Winter also seemed to like the idea of Weiss going to Vale, she would prefer that she attended Atlas Academy since from there she could better protect her sister with her connection to Ironwood. But being on the other side of the planet with Ozpin as the head of the school was also rather safe, at least she wouldn't be attending that deplorable ramshackle of an institution ran by lazy good for nothing vagabonds in Vacuo.

"You didn't Miss Schnee, they died several years ago in a Grimm incursion. I've long since gotten over their deaths" Weiss continued to hold up her guilty look for a few more minutes before she tried to see what nat was doing on the strange device. But before she asked that, she decided that there was a far more important question that could be answered.

"Where are you from, I don't recognise the accent. Because you're certainly not from Atlas despite how hard you try" Winter gave another glare to her sister for being so rude, sometimes it was hard for her to believe that she was related to her sometimes. Yet it was nice to see her interested in something other than escaping their father, it was too much of a shame that the look in the girl's eyes as she looked at the laptop was one of desire.

"Some small village in Vytal, after it burned down I ran into a huntress who decided to take me along with her. We arrived a few days ago to try and get some medical treatment for her; she passed away a few days ago." Playing the sympathy card, Nat noticed the even more guilty and sad look in Weiss's eyes as she was told a fake story about a fake huntress who was now dead. He went for the dead huntress thing, because Atlas had fewer holidays and started school earlier than the other kingdoms meaning that there were no kids around his age out and about besides those who would be moving to other continents. If he gave the image of a tourist, then Winter wouldn't ask any questions, on the other hand, she may do the whole "give a child an opportunity thing by becoming a Huntsman and then joining the military in Atlas" thing.

"What are your plans for the current moment," Winter asked curiously, the boy was young and could likely be trained to an acceptable level in the combat school before Atlas Academy. With no sort of Kingdom, family or village to hold him down, then it would be a lot easier to get the boy to love Atlas and willingly join the special forces unit after a certain amount of time. Plus with years out in the wilderness, he would be able to share his experiences with the class and assist in the training of other students.

"I fly to Vale in a few days, from there I'll return home and scatter her ashes where I found her for the first time. Then I'll return to Vale and see if I can get a job that can put me into school and then university, try to make something of what I've got left" He put on a fake sad expression as if he was in silent mourning over the death of his made up friend, something which got Winter to give the briefest of soft looks before they hardened again.

"Perhaps it's a little early boy, If you would be willing then I could get you a place in combat school, I'll explain the situation to the teacher and even contact General Ironwood about giving you citizenship. In return, however, you will be the top of your class in not only combat school, but you will also attend Atlas Academy and be the top student there where you would then join the Atlas Military" If he was someone else, then Nat would have jumped at the chance, the woman was offering free education of the highest standard for several years and a guaranteed job at the end of it. He had read stories back home where people chose to enter the military because those were the only realistic prospects they had to expand their education or get an actual job. But he wasn't that person, he was in Atlas to discover who was connected to Salem and why, if he agreed to Winters offer, then he would be subjected to more education that would last several years and would force him to conform to an authority.

In contrast, by being Qrows apprentice who had connections to Ozpin, he could likely get some sort of certificate to say that he was already qualified at the combat school level. Perhaps he might get some other things such as a new secret identity, not to mention while he could be part of Ozpins group, he would not be some random ass soldier for a country that wasn't his own. Even then, he wouldn't be a soldier, the pay was shit the hours were shit, the good things about joining military life that he had gathered were the friends made and the training given, plus the ability to play with fancy toys. The latter sounded pretty appealing, he wondered from time t time what it was like to fly a fighter jet or to drive a tank. Actually owning a tank in this universe would be one of the best choices there could, with a big gun and thick armour, Grimm would be a lot less annoying.

Fuck he wished he had a tank.

"I thank you for you offer Miss Schnee, but I don't want to be a Huntsman anymore, I've lost too many people who are close to me and I don't want it to happen again." Looking inside the woman's mind, Nat was greeted with an annoyed Winter at having her proposal rejected due what she saw as him giving up just because he had seen a few people die. In her mind, she saw him as weak.

"I see" The woman's disapproving face was removed when the waiter came with a pile of cakes and a pot of tea. This arrival of food and drink, took the attention away from him allowing him to return back to his job of looking for this contact. He knew it wasn't anyone else in the cafe so far, he had already briefly gone through their memories one by one allowing him to strike off their names from any possible list that he might have had.

After a little while, his contact finally appeared. They were human, dark skin and eyes, then again it would be best to be human if a person wanted to disguise themselves properly in Atlas, and faunas were treated worse in this kingdom than any other, and always drew suspicious looks. The contact was nobody who looked special, they did have the muscular physique of a soldier of huntsman, but on average Atlesians were more physically active than other kingdoms due to a stronger sense of duty for the military, and the fitness thing that was going around countries.

The contact approached the table he was supposed to and briefly spoke to the young couple who were already there and handed them a small amount of Lien. By the looks of it, the amount was enough to cover the price of their meal and the annoyance of being asked to leave their table plus a little extra. After sitting down and ordering from a waitress, the contact sat staring towards the door most likely waiting for the person Nat had found last night to walk through and speak to him.

Thanks to magic, Nat had to do no hard work that most people would be forced to endure when it came to trying to so the activities that one might assume with a secret agent. There was no tailing off a target, no getting close and watching them from a long distance or having to disguise their appearance in the open with elaborate disguises. A person with magic made the best spies as they could read the mind of their target with the briefest amount of eye contact, turn themselves invisible, and apparate away once finished, pulse they could always disguise their weapons better. Muggles did have a tendency to get confused when they saw a wand for the first time, they stopped calling it a useless twig when it was shown that a wand could be used as a portable heavy artillery device.

In this man's case, he was able to glean that the attack on Vacuo had been part of an elaborate plan that this person didn't have the details too, but did know the basic strategy. In short, the plan was to use Atlas to actively destabilise all the other kingdoms, the attack on Vacuo was a test and not the proper thing. This man, however, did know someone who was effectively the head of Salem's operations in Atlas, a man who this man had memories off. It sucked to be that poor sod. Unfortunately, before he could get any more details a large scene was made as Winter shouted at the man Nat was reading the mind off.

"You halt right there, you are under arrest"

Crash

The glass shattered all over the place as the target threw himself out of the window and sprinted as fast as he could, away from the building. There was a panicked look on the targets face as he saw Winter Schnee rush straight after him leaving her sister behind with a stranger as she went to pursue a not known criminal, but one that the Atlas Military had been desperately searching for. What Nat managed to get from Winter before she started zipping about at ridiculous speed, was that it was just luck that she had seen the man and there was no operation planned.

Unfortunately for Winter, Nat could not allow her to capture the target. If the target was captured, they would likely be interrogated. This man may only know the basic details of Salems plans, but it was enough for Ironwood to begin making obvious preparations in defence and broadcasting what he knew to the rest of the world. A sudden build-up of military production or troops in places that Sand her cronies might be planning to attack would very quickly lead to the other side discovering that Ironwood knew the basics of the plan and was trying to stop it.

They were noble but utterly stupid intentions. The person in charge of Salems Atlas operations would both be discovered and killed. Or would be forced to retreat but either way a replacement would be needed and new plans put in place. This would be a disaster from an Intelligence point of view as while Ironwood may have prevented one plan and stopped a lone spy or two, he would leave Atlas more exposed than ever. A caught spies replacement would be more careful than his predecessor, more ruthless and more efficient.

In contrast, with his magic, Nat could find the head of Atlas operations and gain all his knowledge. Afterwards, though, he would endeavour to ensure he kept this person in power as well as the target. If he kept the people in power, then he could constantly keep reading the head of Atlas operations mind and learn plans and other things that would be in place. He could then use that inside information to what effect he thought would be best, in other words, it was counterintelligence. The head of operations would be his own personal spy in Salems network and they wouldn't even know it in the slightest. To get this though and ultimately save more lives he had to stop Ironwood and Winter from capturing the contact and ruining everything.

Essentially, he was doing the tactics of the British during WW2 in the battle of the Atlantic. They had cracked the enigma code and constantly intercepted messages about targets for the U-Boats to attack or their positions. With this info, a lot of convoys were saved and kept safe however a lot of convoys had to be sacrificed with nothing done to save them. If u-boats were constantly found on purpose and convoys were always protected and avoided u-boat flotillas, then the Germans would have known that the British could read their communications. If they figured that out, then they would have changed the machine entirely this would have been a disaster for the intelligence community.

It was the exact same position here if he prevented the targets capture, then he would likely prevent the head of Atlas operations being replaced. If the head of operations wasn't replaced, then he had a spy on the inside that gave him vital information that he could pass on from time to time to people like Ironwood. And with that spy, then he could give false information reports to Salem and hamper her own plans or save a much-needed asset.

Ironwood was likely a very skilled tactician in the field when fighting enemies, but when it came to intelligence he seemed to be far too impatient. He preferred force too subtly, the problem was, that force made people think about what type of enemy they were fighting. If people began to wonder why so many troops were in place, then they would begin to wonder what were they expecting to fight to require so much firepower. This would bring panic and fear which would attract the grim and could be used against them.

Casually, he got up from his table with Weiss and quickly gulped down the rest of his chocolate and put his laptop away. With a quick farewell to the girl, he left the cafe and headed the opposite direction of Winter until he walked into a nice alleyway and started using magic. First was an invisibility charm well technically it was a camouflage spell that worked like a chameleon's skin, but with enough power, it effectively became an invisibility spell. Once that was done, he apparated onto the rooftop and then continued to keep apparating following Winter from a safe distance.

The target had already escaped to the back roads and sides of buildings to prevent cars from intercepting him, however, he now had inter and several Atlas soldiers chasing him. Nat realised it was too late to wipe the memories of Winter and the others due to the security cameras, but he could help the target escape which was what he did. It wasn't anything too magical flashy, he aparated close to a moving car and used magic to puncture a weel on an upcoming car on the other side of the of the alleyway. With a screech and magical adjustment, it struck the entrance hitting all of the police officers with enough force to sending them flying back onto the floor.

Winter went to continue on, however, with another subtle piece of magic, the crash of the car had hit some "rather shoddy workmanship" on the brick house causing the entire wall to collapse onto the police officers on the floor. Despite her pursuit of a criminal, Winter cared more for those around her and instantly grabbed hold of the police officers and yanked them away from the falling bricks. Once they were safe she leapt over the crashed car, but it was all ready to late. The target had managed to escape.

Later that day

Old abandoned Dust mine

"You idiot, do you know what would have happened if you had gotten caught. I gave express orders that you were not to be seen in public, not only did you disobey me, but you nearly got caught by Winter fucking Schnee. If that fucking car hadn't crashed then you would be in a fucking cell where I would have to send in an assassin to deal with the shit that you almost caused"

The leader of Salem's operations was a rather imposing man. The man's grey hair was cut short and a scar ran across his right eye leaving him partially blind. The scar had been an injury he had received when he had first encountered Salem after he had been abandoned by his comrades and left for dead. He wore dark clothing with a shotgun attached on his back and a powerful revolver attached to his thigh where some bullets were also holstered.

The man wouldn't win any beauty contests, but that dark look in his eyes would certainly send a message to people that he had seen warfare and death. In fact to anyone that knew his service record, then they would know that he had served multiple tours and was considered a talented soldier before he had been left abandoned at the hands of rampaging Grimm. It was because of his connections to Atlas and its military why he had been assigned to run this area of operations by Salem.

"I got a message from one of my thieves, he said he needed to share some information with me that couldn't wait." There was no angry yell from the chief of operations, just a loud smacking sound as he plunged his fist straight into the person who had been Winters target. From around the local area, groups of White Fang members carrying boxes of dust and other weapons and machinery went back to work as the glare of the man in charge promised pain to those who failed in their job.

"And you believed them, did you eve once considered you idiot that it could have been a trap" The target held his cheek painfully, despite his aura healing the damage done, it had still been incredibly painful.

"Of course I did, but the thief has always been loyal and never betrayed us before. Also, that Schnee bitch didn't pounce on me as soon as I entered; it was by coincidence that she was there. As soon as she spotted me I ran" Matthew Obsidian head of the Atlas operations nodded slightly, for a brief moment the target looked like he was going to get off free with his actions.

"I will not tolerate failure or stupidity from my subordinates" A loud bang rang throughout the old abandoned caves of the once famous dust mines. A loud bang that was followed by a thump as the newly created corpse hit the ground blood pooling around the head first. "That goes for the rest of you, fail me and you'll meet the same fate. And someone clean this shit up" Panic-stricken workers quickly rushed to get back to their jobs ensuring that they were not the next person on Obsidians list. There was also two volunteers who rushed towards the piece of useless flesh that had once been human to clean it up before they got yelled at or punished.

High above in the large caverns, Nat took pictures of what was going on and recording the entire situation. If he ever needed to convince someone of his opinion of information then having evidence was useful. The Faunus on the ground wouldn't detect him thanks to the magic he had put in place to hide, among the rocks. Even if things did somehow break into a fight, then he had spells around himself to hide his appearance.

The leader of the northern operations, this Mathew Obsidian was the one he was interested in. As the head of Atlas operations, he was bound to know far more of the general plan than others, getting into his mind would likely prove valuable. Of course, that didn't mean that Nat didn't have his own guess at what the plan was, the attack on Vacuo as a test and the current political, economic and military aspects made things undeniably clear to him.

More than likely the general plan was to make Atlas into the bad guys of the world, essentially they wanted to make the other kingdoms look at Atlas, like NATO did Russia. As the only kingdom with an army, there was always suspicion from the other kingdoms in how they would use it. Ever since the Great War there had been a strong force located in Vacuo to guard the precious Dust supplies, as Nat had seen when he had visited Vacuo previously, this raised a lot of tension.

Vacuo hated Atlas as they saw the kingdom exploiting them without giving anything in return. After all their mining and drilling for dust had destroyed the once beautiful lush landscape of Vacuo into nothing more than the rest of the sandy terrain. Vacuo was nothing more than a small lone settlement near its huntsman school and a lot of wanderers in the desert. If there was to be a rise in tensions in Vacuo, then there was a chance that Atlas equipment and interests would be under attack.

Naturally to deal with this situation the army would be brought in, with Vacuo having no government and there being nothing like a United Nations, then things would escalate quickly. An attack on Atlas members would bring anger from the Atlas people who would demand that more force is sent to protect their interests in Vacuo. Sooner or later, someone would get trigger happy and as soon as a casualty occurred, then it would be a full-blown war. Atlas would declare that to protect their people, that they needed to take over to ensure peace which would be seen as a very aggressive act by Vale and Mistral.

Fear and anger in the other kingdoms would be directed towards Atlas as many would see Vacuo as the underdogs and want to support them. Atlas in response to this would likely cancel the trade and anything else to do with the other kingdoms, as they would feel like Vale and Mistral would be ganging up on them. They would then likely start to impose conscription and build up their armed forces as well as guard any of their interests outside of their homeland.

Violent protests from Vale and Mistral citizens would lead to attacks on Atlas people and property, Atlas would likely respond with force to such attacks. When casualties from both Mistral and Vale occurred, then the kingdoms would likely be forced to listen to their people less they risk a very violent revolution and would have to go to war with Atlas.

A full-scale war would initially be in Atlas's favour if they could move quick enough, but they would have to face all three other kingdoms. Also, there would likely be a sizeable contingent of forces from Menagerie that in return for the support that the kingdoms of Vacuo, Vale and Mistral would recognise them as an official kingdom. This support would likely be born out of anger and revenge from Faunus citizens who would want to harm Atlas as it was seen as an oppressive kingdom by then, as well as by not angry citizens who would see war as the best way to show that humans and Faunus were equal.

War brought tension, hatred, and fear. These things brought the Grimm, however, a war on Atlas would likely send a lot of Faunus into the White Fang. If the group was working for Salem, then the woman would have increased manpower for her future attacks. However things weren't as simple as that, the operations in Atlas, were likely to slowly build a simmering distrust and hatred of the other three kingdoms by Atlas. Essentially, if they could stage terrorist attacks and other things, then the anger in Atlas would rise, drawing the Grimm.

But the war would be merely a means to an end. The war would be a good way to keep the huntsmen and militaries and kingdoms distracted and cause tension, but the true fight would likely be to gain the artefacts hidden in each kingdom. This would then leave Ozpin and his merry group to try and fight Salem and the rest of her group without the support he needed.

This lead to his theory of why Ozpin was the headmaster of Beacon. The man likely observed all the students in the school to see if there were anyone special Students who were exceptionally talented or connected and held certain views on things. Students who were willing to break not only school rules but also kingdom laws to try and combat a certain threat without even knowing who they were even up against. Once Ozpin had found a certain student, he would then likely try to subtly push them in certain directions or give help or perhaps just ignore or bend the rules. Ozpin used the school as a secret recruitment facility where he could be first to take the best and brightest before anyone else had them. Another likely reason was to ensure that he could keep an eye on one of the Relics at all time.

From what little he knew about the relics, Nat was pretty sure that all four were required to have the most effectiveness. If one was kept permanently out of the hands of Salem, then such an action could likely keep any war between Salem and Ozpin going as neither side would have all the power needed.

In theory, Ozpin could have scattered the relics all over the planet and not told anyone, but that was far too risky. With an army of Grimm in the world, there was no way of knowing if Salem was able to have them constantly searching the world until she eventually found them and got them to her side. On the other hand, if they were guarded, then while Salem did know about their location, then it also meant that any attempt to try and grab a relic would be met by not only force but also the high possibility that someone could take the relic and run. Whether to an unknown location or somewhere else to be known, but they could run which would mean that an assault was all for nothing.

It was the same theory with horcuxes, he hadn't studied the subject as it was highly illegal and he couldn't get his hands on such knowledge, but he had theories on how they worked. If a Horcrux was used to store a piece of a person's soul after death, then how did one even bring back a basic body to be reborn in. A spirit might survive floating about, but besides possessing a person or baby, then it would not be effective not to mention that a spirit to regain their magic power would have to have their old body back to become as powerful as they were before. Otherwise, if they inhabited the body of an infant magical child, then there was no way of even knowing if that child would ever gain the magical power needed to be another dark lord.

It was for this reason, why he leaned more towards the belief that to create the body from a spirit, that it required the sacrifice of a Horcrux. Like a game where you only had a certain amount of lives, he was of the opinion that to be able to come back that a Horcrux had to be sacrificed to make a new body. If his theory was correct then it would explain why horcuxes were always unique in appearance and always guarded and in certain places. A random stone on the beach or on the ocean floor might stop anyone from finding it due to it being hidden and camouflaged, but if a person needed it to sacrifice then it was useless. They would never find the stone and the same went for a blade of grass or a random object thrown into space. Your enemy may never get a hold of it, but you can never use it for its purpose.

These relics were likely in the same position, only the enemy was far more numerous. They couldn't drop them into the water because of large amounts of aquatic Grimm, not to mention the pressure of an ocean. They also couldn't throw it into space as the people of this world are yet to develop that ability. Something which Nat did feel a slight amount of pride from, his planet had done something several decades ago that this "sort of" more technologically advanced world couldn't do.

But that all came down to the whole point of starting a war; with a war, then the kingdoms would be far less safe and far more suspicious. Buildings would be destroyed and safe places looted or no longer safe, it could force Ozpin and his group to move in the open with relics to either find a new place or to stay away from where Salem's forces would be located. If they were in the open away from the protections of cities and its populace, then it would be a lot easier for Salem to win.

It was a rather brilliant strategy, the likelihood of Salem being able to infiltrate Ozpins personal group was low, although not impossible. As such, Salem would likely play to her own strengths to remove Ozpins strength which was the protection of the kingdoms, as for Ozpins group Salem likely had a strategy for them. Ozpin was in charge, he knew the plans and what to do to counter things, he was also at this time long since suited to his new body. This presented a problem to Salem, she would need to kill Ozpins older form to at least temporarily cut the head off the snake.

This would be difficult and would require far more power than a huntsman could do with the man so experienced. It would require the use of magic to give an opponent a decent chance. In this world, there were only five now six sources of magic. The first and original source of magic was Ozpin himself, he was a wizard and had directly created the next four sources of magic which were the maidens. Lastly came him, his magic was not of this world yet still effective and dangerous.

To defeat Ozpin, Salem would need one of the maiden's powers. This was something she had already done partly, if Qrows memories on the attack were correct. Even so, Salem's maiden could not just outright attack Ozpin as he would be surrounded and easily defeated by his backup. If Ozpin was to be killed, it would be when Ozpin didn't have help and would be distracted by far larger things such as a war with Atlas. Even then though, his attacker couldn't just come out of nowhere, they would have to study Ozpin from a distance to get to know him. If a war broke out, then there was a possibility the gates around Ozpin would be closed preventing anyone entrance to his general location or be shot. To get around this, a person would have had to be at the Academy for a certain amount of time, the most likely way would be to pose as a student.

However they couldn't attack Ozpin straight away, an attack would lead to an immediate inquiry about every single student in the school. An attacker would be found quickly and dealt with. But there was more to war then just attacking, there was the morale front and if Salem was smart, she would realise that even if she killed Ozpin then she needed to discredit him and his followers. If nobody trusted Ozpin, then that left him in a weak position, as nobody would want to help or provide sanctuary. Also for Salem's plans to succeed in getting the relics, she would need to keep the war going on as long as possible and prevent communication between the kingdoms. There was an easy way to accomplish this and leave humanity blind, destroy the CCT towers, something that would be left very exposed in a war as troops would be forced to fight other troops.

It was all a very complex and elaborate plan he had theorised, he could be wrong about everything and something more complex or simple could be up. However for now without more clues, this was his best theory on what exactly Salem wanted to achieve by causing trouble in Atlas and was also why he couldn't just destroy the group or tell Ironwood what was happening. If an entire group is gone silently or not, then Salem would suspect something, and if that happened then she might pull agents away or change her entire plan. Instead, the best plan in the meantime would be to subtly stop and halt Salems plans. Maybe a phone call to the police a few minutes before anything happened pretending to be a guilty member of the group.

Any plans to stop Salem and her plans would require a careful thought process. and a weighing up of what could afford to be sacrificed to ensure that Salem didn't know about a spy. If he sacrificed too little, then Salem would likely figure out that there was a spy, and if he sacrificed too much, then Salems plans would succeed. This situation required a very careful balancing act, but ultimately if he had to let it tip, then it was best to reveal to Salem that Ozpin had information.

If a war occurs due to public support, then stopping a war could lead to civil wars in multiple kingdoms still leaving them weak. On the other hand, even if Salem does get rid of all the people working for her in the kingdoms and recruits more people, then it would be far easier for Nat to find the new people and repeat the process. A war between the four kingdoms was not a desirable outcome, had it not been for the sheer weakness it would leave the world in, allowing for Grimm to easily kill everyone, then he would choose to allow the attacks to occur.

As he watched the leader of the Atlas operations leave for a more private space, he followed using silent apparition until the man was entirely out of sight and did his thing of reading the mans mind while staying hidden. Multiple plans came from the man's mind, bribing certain individuals, staging riots, assassinating young people, one of which was none other than Weiss Schnee; Spreading false information, giving speeches and recruiting for the White Fang, confirming his theory that the group was working for Salem. There were plans for gathering key military information on the Atlas military, stealing high tech equipment, stealing dust to force the price to rise, mass protest, creating human supremacy groups to enact more terrorism. They also had plans of Destroying infrastructure and normal terrorist's attacks as well as kidnapping and selling people into sexual slavery and blaming it on certain groups as well as many more ideas.

There was a massive bonanza of ideas that just this group was planning on enacting. What was worse, was that they were only one group in one Kingdom. Salem had more than likely at least a few smaller other groups in Atlas with the same idea as well as similar groups in every other kingdom. Nat was certainly no secret intelligence agent like MI6 or CIA, but ever he could tell that there was going to be a lot of chaos that would destabilise the world and plunge it straight into chaos.

Yet he would not act straight away, with something this big he should spend time thinking carefully about it. He needed to weigh to pros and cons of every action he could take regarding this and not just lash out suddenly with no idea of what the consequences were. With this in mind, he apparated away to his hotel into his room leaving no trace of what had happened.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

Chapter 14

Kingdom of Atlas

"That's' right come to papa. Yeah just like that, lower the skirt a little more now bend over" Ring. "Oh come on, who the hell wants to talk to me" Looking at his scroll, Qrow looked at the person's name and gave a sigh, realising it was Ironwood, he quickly rejected the phone call only for it to start ringing again. He turned that off tow, but then again it started to ring again, for the fifth time, Qrow finally picked up the scroll and placed it to his ear. "Hey Ironwood I'm kinda busy right now, do you think you could call me later" With a grin, Qrow reverted his eyes back to the lovely waitress whose short skirt and two sizes to thin maid outfit allowed her bust to be ever more visible.

She was currently bending down as she served drinks to one of the customers, with the way that her chest was so close to another married guy, he could perfectly understand the blush the man was having. The wife and several other girls were shooting the maid quote a few jealous looks as she brought the attention of many patrons onto herself. With a drink of his own ordered, Qrow was looking forward to when that fine looking young girl came his way, he had already slicked his hair back and was ready to give his smoulder only for him to hear his name cried out.

"Qrow" With an annoyed look, the hunter moved his head in the direction of none other than James Ironwood who was being accompanied by the "specialist" Winter Schnee. The latter looked angry to see him, and the former was heading in his direction. Looking towards the waitress, he was given hope that he may be able to have some hope, but as she approached the table to ask what the newcomers wanted, she was quickly sent away by Winter.

"A tea for me, and some water for my friend" Straight afterwards, the white-haired woman glared at Qrow. "I hope you have a good reason for being here, Ozpin sent you out to look for clues in Vale, not in Atlas" Qrow sighed, but ultimately he was glad that the kid wasn't here, if the two had known about the fact that he was training a kid, then there would be more suspicion on his part.

"Nice to see you too ice queen. How have your missions been in dealing with your little shipment problems." Winter glared at the man, then she let that glare change into a smug smirk as if she had something over the man.

"Very well actually, we recently got reports that a spy has been dealt with, and ever since the White Fang hasn't intercepted one of our dust convoys. That's more than could be said of you skulking around vale, did Ozpin get tired of having a good for nothing drunk teach at a school all day" Ironwood gave Winter a sharp loo, he knew of the rivalry between the two, but he would have thought that Winter would have known better than to question Ozpins decision on sending Qrow out into the wilderness.

"Actually he sent me out because unlike the rest of you, I'm not some hotshot who's known all over the world. You can call yourself a specialist all that you want ice queen, but unless you can go on my types of missions, then you're not much good. Besides you wouldn't even be able to last out there without all your gadgets and princess pillows."

"Why you, I should have you locked away for such an insult"Winters' hand went towards her sabre that was placed at her side, but before she did Ironwoods firm hand rested on her preventing such an action. The general's eyes at the same time scanned the area back and forth, a few time his eyes met with certain people staring them down to see if they were any type of threat or spy.

"Winter, Qrow not here. There are too many people, how about we go back to the Academy and discuss things there, we don't want hostiles to hear this." Upon hearing her commanders words, Winter did relax although she still sent evil glares at Qrow and his relaxed attitude as he grinned at her for being told off.

"Sure, why not. But I'm waiting for my drink first, I'm not wasting perfectly good booze" This time it was James who hardened his eyes at the Huntsman, with how important their mission was, they couldn't afford to lose time on drinks. They also wanted Qrow to be somewhat sober for their talk, rather than having that seemingly never-ending flask at his side.

"When you're given an order you idiotic drunk bird, you should follow it" Qrow rolled his eyes and laughed out loud, the very idea of taking orders from Qrow. The man had only recently been inducted to the order, and if the general thought he could boss around him or Ozpin, then the general had another thing coming.

"Look girly, we don't all have large chunks of money given by daddy dearest, some of us can't afford to just waste money. So if you want to go without your tea, then why done you just run back with your tail between your legs, while I enjoy the wonders of this young beautiful maid who is giving me my beverage" Almost as if she had been summoned, the young busty maid approached the table and started to place the drinks down on the table with her leaning over a very satisfied and smirking Qrows face. Winter tried to glare, but it was more like she was trying to kill the woman's chest with her eyes alone, making for a rather funny sight. As she pulled back though, he gave Qrow a light peck on the lips before blowing in his ear and whispering something.

"I get off work at ten and my place isn't that far, do you want to have some fun" Now Qrow's grin was almost electric ad he gave the woman sitting opposite him a triumph look as the maid walked away to serve another customer.

"I just got a date, which is more than can be said for you ice queen, at the rate your going, you'll be alone forever and die without children all forgotten because you couldn't have a little fun" Winter at this had enough, she stood from her table smacking them down and glared at the smirking bird all the while addressing her superior officer.

"General Ironwood sir, I request permission to remove this dogs filthy tongue from his mouth and teach him an important lesson in respect" Qrow was loving this, in response to the woman's comment about his tongue he had stuck it out and imitated an action he would hope to do later with the lovely maid. It worked so well, that Winter had already detached her dagger from her sabre and had already brought it to bear.

"Put the weapon down Schnee, he may be annoying but we still need him. Qrow come on you have your drink now let's go" Pulling out his wallet, Ironwood left the table and quickly approached the maid, after paying for their meals he was soon accompanied by Qrow who had already managed to drink the entire glass he had been given and look completely fine. As for winter, as always when in Qrows presence, she looked like she was about to kill him.

"Oh come on ice queen, you'll never get a boyfriend with that kind of attitude. You know with your sister at Beacon all on her own, she's bound to get a load of offers for a fun time. I just wonder what she might get up to with your corrupting influence gone, maybe a threesome, oh maybe a foursome, wouldn't that be news, your sister in a foursome, oh, oh even better what if your sister got into a gang"

"Qrow, shut up and follow me. And no more crass comments in front of Winter" Sometimes. Ironwood did wonder why on Remnant had Ozpin allowed that drunk to join the group, but after seeing what he was capable off, he understood. Even if he didn't like the man, Qrow was an exceptional huntsman and loyal to Ozpin. Why he was in Atlas he didn't know, but that was what he was here to find out about, as well as get him to do something while he was here. It was just a pain that he had to listen to Schnee and Qrow argue back on forth constantly as they made their way to the academy and then eventually into his office. By the time they arrived, Ironwood knew more than he ever wanted to about Qrow's sexual conquests, in fact if he had to go any longer hearing about how Qrow had ploughed one woman so hard that he made her eyes roll to the back of her head, then he would personally kick Qrow off a cliff to get him to shut up.

Atlas Academy

It was a bit of a drive to the Huntsman school, the car ride was spent in silence to make sure that nobody was listening in on their conversation to try to intercept their vehicle. When they finally did arrive and sit down in Ironwoods professional yet more elegant office with books, statues, medals and other types of classified information that he would have to deal with. Ironwood and Winter stood up, seemingly more happy to be on their feet as they looked at the drunk huntsman, as for Qrow, he had jumped onto the fanciest chair he could find and began lounging around as best as he could, making himself comfortable in a way that on purposely annoyed the Schnee woman.

"So how did you two find me, I was being rather careful." Despite what others thought, Qrow did make sure not to be noticed, or if his work was to be noticed, then he did his best not to draw attention to himself in the slightest. It was for this reason why he didn't like working with Ironwood, the man was too bold and didn't care about subtlety in the slightest. Take what had just happened, he had been blending in with the normal people of Atlas not drawing any attention to himself in the slightest, when Ironwood just walks in followed by the Ice queen, where they then sit at his table and announce that they know him and walk him out. Him knowing the two of them wasn't a good thing, Salem's spies were everywhere, but James had spies everywhere in Atlas and was why he had to stay away from the kid for the entire journey.

He did have a small concealed mirror on him to communicate with the wizard, but it was only to be used when they were going to leave Atlas, or in the case of an emergency. Since the two of them had arrived and decided on these rules, they had talked to each other once. It made him wonder how the kid was doing, despite the two of them being in the same hotel, they didn't see each other since Nat apparated everywhere and when he looked for clues he was in his bird form. Well besides when he was drunk and wanted to enjoy a good time with the beautiful maid that had served him his rink and possessed an incredibly fine body, a fine body that with any luck he would get to enjoy later.

"You left one of your feathers, at the scene of an incident. Does the name Andrew Beam mean anything to you" To illustrate the point, James showed Qrow the man in question via the holograms that were in the room creating a full replica of the dead man that Atlas had been investigating recently. The man was only an informer, a small-time criminal who occasionally smuggled goods into the Atlas mines and robbed from other people; although, there was a rumour of him being part of some White Fang group and attacking people.

"That could be anyone's tail feather" James did not look impressed.

"We already did DNA testing, it matches the other feather the General already has of yours" James glared at Sinter forcing her to back off, but Qrow glared at James in return.

"You stole one of my feathers, We're meant to work with each other James, not suspect each other of working for the other side". Qrows continued to glare at the general as he looked more around the room to see if there were any more trophies that James had kept.

"Crows aren't normally found here anyway, even if I didn't have the original feather to test it against, this feather is suspicious. But you're right about working together, If you're in Atlas then that means you've found something that has to do with my Kingdom and I want to know what it is" James looked sternly at the drunk man, despite being favoured by Ozpin, James couldn't see why Ozpin and Qrow preferred to use stealth, and tricks to deal with Salem and her cronies rather than just sending in their forces and dealing with every single spy with extreme force and hindering the Grimm leaders plans.

For a few moments, Qrow debated on whether he should let James know what little he knew if he did then James would likely interfere with his investigation and fuck everything up, if not then he couldn't exactly just walk out. James wasn't Ozpin, this was his office and kingdom, the man would track him down the best he could if he thought there was a threat to the kingdom of Atlas. And going by the fact that the man hadn't mentioned the kid yet, then there was a good chance that they didn't know about the wizard he had been training over the last several weeks.

"I don't know much, I was investigating the train takeover in Mistral a few days ago, and one of the attackers mentioned the name of Andrew so I thought to investigate"

"That still doesn't explain why you're investigating the white fang, their a terrorist group, the only reason you'd investigate them, is if you thought they might have a connection to Salem. I assume that one of the white fang mentioned something to do with her" Qrow took a swig from his flask as he looked back at James.

"Not really, I'm doing this on behalf of a friend who got injured in the attack. Try to stop it and find out who's leading the group that attacked the group. And do you know what, that little shit Andrew, is connected to some asshole that was giving orders to the Mistral group for some reason." Qrow made a mock angry face as he gave his lie to James, he might not be talented as the young politician that he was training, but then again politicians were born to lie and lying was their entire shtick.

"So you came all the way to Atlas to investigate some guy who destroyed a train of dust instead of doing your job and looking for clues about who is working for Salem. Need I remind you what would happen if the people who attacked the fall maiden discover where she is. This isn't a game where you can pause what you're doing Qrow, you can't just wander in any direction when you get bored of the main quest, people's lives are at stake" Sighing in a bored fashion, Qrow produced the piece of fabric that the kid had recovered from Vacuo.

"A few of the attackers got away, but one of them left this. I figured if that attacker was mentioning Atlas, then there could be a connection between this fabric and Atlas. It's not the right type of fabric for anywhere else, it's too thick and well refined." Throwing the piece of fabric over, Jams inspected the fabric and agreed with the assessment. Unlike Mistral cloth, which was typically thinner and more often made of silk, this material was far thicker than what anyone from any other kingdom would wear, Vale wouldn't work as they wore more practical clothing.

"This implies that Salem's agents are in Atlas, do you know what for" Holding the cloth closer, James passed it on to Winter. With her being the daughter of a rich businessman, the generals logic was that she might be used to different sets of quality and would be able to determine how good the cloth was.

"It's likely yeah, but I don't know where they are or what their doing, Andrew mentioned something about a huge shakeup due to one of the agents being detected by the Ice Queen over there. According to him, their plans are being put on hold until things calm down, that was before I showed myself, the man wouldn't tell me anything when I asked him. Took his own life and jumped off the bridge" James nodded slowly as he remembered the events of the previous day, it hadn't been a pretty sight when he was called in by the Atlas soldiers about the death of one of the people they had been investigating.

"Yes, we're afraid of what the coward did to himself" With her haughty voice, Qrow responded to Winter with an un-amused look, afterwards he ignored her and focused back on James.

"I was planning on investigating anyone he was connected to, but with his death, his place has been locked up real right. I would appreciate the help if you could get me the information if Salem's Agents are in Atlas, then we have a lot of trouble" James nodded.

"Agreed, I'll give you access to investigate Qrow, but anything you find will be reported to me, While Ozpin might let you get away with things in Vale, Atlas is different". Qrow rolled his eyes, he was used to the way James ran things in this kingdom, from the conversations that he had with the kid, it made him think that Atlas wasn't run by the council, but rather by James alone due to the amount of power he held on the council. Or as the kid would say, Atlas was a dictatorship, albeit one that put on the false look of being democratic.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, now how did you track me down, unlike you, I don't draw a crowd" Despite his feelings towards James, Qrow knew he needed the information on how James had managed to track him down so easily. There were very few people who could pinpoint his location that quickly, the first and oldest he knew was his sister. That woman's semblance was an unbelievable annoyance, especially when they were students and she would on purposely cock block him. It may have been innocent then, but now it meant that she could try and kill him whenever she desired, she had no need to track him down, all the woman needed, was to open a portal and there she was. Nat was the other one, while he didn't have the ability to instantly hone in on him via his semblance like Raven did. All Nat needed to do was cast a spell with a map and he would have a pinpoint location on where he was, there would be no hiding from him which made him the more dangerous of the two.

While Raven could appear by his side at a moment's notice, that didn't mean she knew where he was, Nat, on the other hand, was capable of tracking his movements from the other side of the planet, and from such safety could devise strategies and know where they were at all times. And while the kid couldn't just instantly attack him, as he had had to truly on places he had pictures of or had been, that just meant he could apparate in a nearby area and track him down. Neither James or the Ice Queen could do that, hence why it was so important that he knew how to cover his tracks better less he be ambushed or worse, have the kid stolen.

Salem had already sent her cronies to attack the fall maiden with the results being terrible. The girl was unlikely to survive and was in a coma, the problem with Nat though, was that he was nowhere near good enough to stand on his own against those who had harmed fall in such a way. Sure the small amounts of magic he had seen were impressive, and the kid was coming along nicely in his sword work, even if he did still have a lot to learn. But ultimately if the kid was attacked and unable to escape, ad he was forced to rely on mundane methods of defending himself, then he was in serious trouble.

"It wasn't hard you simpleton, while you may change form out of the view of camera's, you appear in enough for us to follow your bird form with the other cameras. When you finally stopped flying, it was a simple method of following the drunken smell " Gesturing arrogantly, Winter played the footage of Qrow as a bird, while the footage was nothing exciting, it did indicate to Qrow that he might need to pay more attention to where he left his feathers around.

"Yeah well you try giving yourself a tongue bath everyday ice queen, it's not pretty and I have better things to do than put on some "special uniform and put makeup on my pretty face" For what seemed the millionth time, another hateful glare was sent towards the drunk birdman by one of Atlas's best soldiers.

"Behave you two, Qrow help me with this or I'll speak with Ozpin and see if he'll make you more co-operative" Qrow leapt out of his position his red eyes glowing fiercely as he stood face to face with the general so that their eyes were staring into one another. Only Winter decided to block the way and stand in front of the general in hopes of defending him. Not that the general would have ever needed her help, he was a veteran of grim attacks and had lost half his body to the blasted creatures. Of course, as the face of the school, he couldn't go round looking like some kind of monster and therefore hid his disfiguration and augmentation with technology.

"Are you threatening me general, because things won't end well if you are" Safe in the comfort of her own school, Winter drew he blade and pointed it threateningly it at Qrow. Despite this show of bravery, Winter was nothing bar a little mouse attempting to threaten a lion. In response to the woman's, actions, the dark-haired man had already grabbed the back of his weapon in a casual manner, but a manner which also stated that he was ready for battle. If there was going to be a fight, then it would be here between the two of them.

"Winter, Qrow stand down, this is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. Winter return to your quarters, we'll speak later. Qrow just investigate the target, and remember to inform me of anything important.

"But Sir"

"Not now Winter, go Qrow I don't want that Grimm messing things with my kingdom, I have other things to deal with." Moving towards the windowsill and opening once the general was done, Qrow transformed into his bird form and flew towards the city. Despite what James and Ice Queen had said, today was still a good day, with any luck he would be enjoying it with that beautiful young maid. As he continued to soar high above the technological city of skyscrapers and floating dust crystals that adorned the landscape, his sharper eyes were soon met with a flying bird made of paper.

At first, he was confused as he saw it fly towards him, then he realized that only the kid was capable of doing such a thing. Recognising that this paper bird likely held important information, he soon dived down to a safe place followed by the paper bird. He soon found a nice tree where he turned back into her human form and grabbed the letter that the kid had sent him and read it.

Qrow

There is going to be a terrorist attack on Main street in one hour. The White Fang are plotting to capture a top Schnee scientist named John Maple, he works as a special engineer and designer for Ironwoods advanced weapons. The man you tracked is linked to this attack, in his house is a safe behind a painting in the living room, it has the key to a room in the golden apartment building. Room 127 there you will find the plans for the operation. The safe's code is man keeps latex gloves in his bathroom so use them to avoid suspicion.

I'm telling you this because when Ironwood asks, you're going to need proof so go to these places or else you'll risk suspicion.

Earth

P.S this note will burst into flames once read.

Chucking the note into the air as fast as he could, Qrow's dark red eyes, watched as the piece of paper lit itself on fire burning itself into only ashes remained; leaving nothing that could be used as evidence. "Gotta hand it to you kid, you can definitely get rid of evidence when you need to" It was likely the best way things could have gone, Qrow did not have the ability to stop sound and smell from escaping a certain area, so by having a not that burned itself, it ensured that nobody as able to read the secret communication between the two of them.

Following the note's instructions, Qrow using the information already given to him by Ironwood, soon arrived at the targets house, a house which was devoid of its police protection. Trusting the kid's words on the matter, even if he didn't have a clue on how the kid had found out so much, row quickly went up the stairs and grabbed a pair of gloves. Picking up a set and putting them on his hands, he soon went downstairs and removed the largest picture on the wall, a picture of the great war with the four kingdoms fighting side by side against the grim threat.

Just like the kid had said, there was indeed a safe and when he put in the code that he had been forced to remember, the green light flashed with the door swinging open to reveal that there was indeed a key. With more inspection, he saw the insignia of the hotel that Nat had mentioned his note. But that made Qrow suspicious, not of the kid's side, it was pretty obvious that the kid wanted nothing to do with Salem, but instead, he was suspicious of how the kid already knew about this stuff.

With the hotel insignia in his hand, he turned back into his bird form and rushed towards the location where the kid had said. When he arrived at the fancy looking building and opened the room that had been mentioned, he was met once again with the kid's spot on knowledge. There were maps, documents, and all other sorts of things, that had been left in the building by the people who had previously occupied it. Qrow wasted no time in searching the room and photos that had been left, curious as to who had been co incompetent to leave. His answers were given shortly when after moving a cushion, he was met an explosive device.

Going on training, he first leapt back from the device to make sure that the lack of pressure didn't trigger off the device, after a few moments and no explosion, Qrow returned back to the device only to see that it was deactivated. There was nothing obviously wrong with the device beside it apparently not being turned on, but then he figured that if the kid had been the one to direct him here, then he had already deactivated the explosives.

Returning back to his work of inspecting the documents quickly to try and prevent a supposed terrorist attack, Qrow was able to work out the destination by the pictures as the Atlas Academy. With a sudden panic, he gripped his scroll and rung Ironwood as fast as he could, the amount of time he had left wasn't enough to stop the attack from his location, but it would be enough to get James to evacuate the school. In the meantime, he needed to secure the evidence but as he looked at the plans, he realised that there were multiple attacks in place all around the city.

"James get the hell out of that place, someone's going to attack. I got the plans and I'm sending it over now" Confused at first due to how quickly Qrow had called, and expecting the annoying man to ask about some type of payment or something, James soon snapped out of that line of thought as he soon received pictures that Qrow had sent him using his scroll. James believed the documents as soon as he read them Qrow had no reason to lie about something like this, and an attack on Atlas Academy might be a way try and seize the relic. There had already been one attack in Vacuo, was this another one.

Either way, once he had activated the emergency alarm, red lights began to flash and a loud siren began to blare with instructions for staff and students to follow. All of which were along the lines of "prepare yourself for battle this is not a drill, prepare yourself for battle". While the students and teenagers mobilised, it also sent troops who were located elsewhere in the city, to suddenly converge on the area as fast as they possibly could. And so at the same time, James quickly grabbed his weapon and marched out of his office to see Winter standing at attention saluting him.

"General Ironwood sir, what is the enemy planning" While she stood at attention, Winter couldn't help but think for the shortest moment, that she was glad that Weiss had chosen Beacon over Atlas. Despite how much she loved her sister, she knew that if there was a serious attack on the Academy, then she was glad that her sister was away especially since she wasn't up to the task of taking on such an event as she was currently. And if these attacks were orchestrated by the White Fang, then they would no doubt target Weis and make an example out of her in some form or another.

"Guard the entrance to the vault, if anyone arrives, inform me immediately, if this attack is like the one in Vacuo, then their main goal is likely the relic. Only leave your position if I tell you directly, no one is to get past you". Without waiting for a response from the young but still attractive woman, James checked that he had a decent amount of ammunition on him, and headed towards the main part of the academy where he could already hear the commotion.

Pounding feet hit the stairways, yelling, some first-year students suddenly panicking due to how real the situation was becoming, especially as they had only just begun. However, he ignored that, once he was finally able to push through the lines of students and make visual contact with one of his soldiers, James felt more relieved. The students were well trained and were better than soldiers in physical combat, but the soldiers had been trained and were prepared for this type of scenario. Their presence alone managed to suppress the situation down to something bearable, if this was any other kingdom, then there would have been madness.

"General Ironwood Sir, what are your orders sir" The guard nodded to him, his standard rifle in his hands while his white metallic body armoured gleamed due to the recent clean it had received.

"White Fang Ariel and land vehicles are approaching sir, we have engaged"

"Take a squad and help them out there" It was finally happening James thought, the enemy was finally attacking them directly, but why were they doing it so openly. Yes, Qrow had warned them, but even then the White Fang couldn't have been stupid enough to attack Atlas Academy in the daytime. That was unless this was a distraction or there was another distraction that had been countered by Qrows arrival.

Nathanael Tempest

From his potion high up on a skyscraper, Nat watched through binoculars as he watched the group of White Fang terrorists approach Atlas Academy. The goal of the enemy attack wasn't to succeed, but rather it was to try and kidnap Weiss Schnee. Having thought about the activities that these people were up to, he had put in place a plan. While he could deal with any threat that the Atlas group might do, that left the rest of the world exposed and when he left that meant that Atlas would be exposed with no idea what was going on.

Hence, he had changed and manipulated the memories of the group. They now believed that Weiss Schnee was actually attending Atlas Academy under a false name to keep her protected, therefore, with Weiss not being under heavy guard to try and keep her identity a secret, that would leave the school less protected than normal. From there, the plan was to plant multiple explosives deceives around the city but especially in skyscrapers, these attacks would be followed by attackers from White Fang thugs. With any luck, so much damage and destruction would force the general away from the school where they would then stage another attack.

That second plans attack, would be that the academy would be assaulted from both sides, from the outside the White Fang main group would assault and distract the guards were from inside the white fang spies would smuggle Weiss out. Of course what those spies in the academy didn't know, would be that they were under a delayed illusion spell that would show them in their white fang uniforms. With this done, the other students and staff would assault the spies and handle them.

He couldn't afford to directly tell Ironwood that he knew the enemies plans, however, if he staged an event which would alert Ironwood to the danger, and then he could take his own action. Nat knew that without his presence in Atlas, then Salem's minions would have free reign, and with them also having free reign in the other kingdoms, then it wasn't practical to work four if not more areas at once. As such he had created this terrorist attack, put it in the mind of the enemy, and when they were pushed back and went into hiding, Ironwood would know that he had a serious problem that he needed to sort out and deal with. The other advantage with another attack is that with two of them so close to each other, then the other kingdoms would realise their defences' too and start to deal with Salem's spies in their own way.

Despite the connection with Salem, it was still obvious that the White Fang and these other groups were not the big fish or inner circle. It was them who he needed to track and deal with. If the kingdoms were more secure, then it gave him time to deal with threats, already he had foiled the original plan of Atlas because something this major wasn't supposed to have happened until many months later down the line. By staging an attack now, and having it led by "rebel members", it could mean that Salem knew that her pawns hadn't betrayed her and could maybe stay in the same region.

On the other hand, he could permanently stay in the kingdom and protect it, but that was the worse option, only Atlas had the institutions and facilities to handle their affairs. Vacuo, Vale and Mistral would be forced to let out to dry as agents there dealt with their own threats. In cases such as these, it was important to distribute the work. Despite his own powers as a wizard, he couldn't do all the work as it was essentially trying to run, four different spy organisations at once and being the only agent, it just didn't work. He wasn't a spy and he had only read books on war and strategy, he had never fought them, with a lack of experience and proper training he would likely mess up badly.

The best thing he could reasonably do, is it put events into motion that would get those who are more used to this type of thing to take action. Not to mention Salem would be far less suspicious of a very powerful magical individual if her minions were caught by police and Special Forces. And more than likely, He would come into contact with Salem's maiden, whoever the magic user was, she could be sent to deal with threats or investigate an area. If that occurred then there was no way of knowing if he would be in the area at that time, if he was and he got detected, or if the maidens were somehow able to track his power, then there would likely be a confrontation at hand.

He should not reveal himself unless absolutely necessary, that was how wizards and witches had gone about things since the great betrayal. They left the obvious to work with other individuals, let them get the glory and be under the spotlight and even the position of ruler. All the while those unknown and behind the scenes would manipulate things to their advantage. In this case, he had implanted false information into the terrorists head's, getting them to launch an attack and reveal themselves.

People would surely die from this attack, the White Fang was ruthless and would be more than willing to kill innocent humans. But it was better than the alternative if Ironwood didn't know, and the tension rose to a point where a crisis did happen, then more people would inevitably be killed. A full-scale crisis like a grim invasion being made possible due to anger from the civilians was far more deadly, then a simple attack that might kill a hundred people at the absolute worst.

Plus it would be a warning cry, after such a deadly attack in their kingdom, the citizens of Atlas would yell for a stronger military that could be used to defend them. Of course, the Atlas military would not be the ones who would win a war, but they would be able to provide assistance in things like intelligence or manpower and cannon fodder. It wasn't exactly glorious, but the Atlas army would likely play the role of Legolas Aragorn and Gimli in the lord of the rings, they would fight inevitable odds and large scale battles to give time to the small group who would have to achieve other tasks.

It was likely for this reason, why Ironwood was recruited. Having the heads of the huntsman academies on his side was good, but Ozpin likely needed to ensure that in the worst case scenario, that Atlas would not turn its forces to other foes. It was likely why the old wizard trusted Qrow more, Ironwood was a face, and if a war was to start, he would likely be the one on the front line holding back the tide and eventually sacrificed if needed. Qrow, on the other hand, was far more important as he was generally unknown.

As for him though, when Ozpin learned about him, he would likely become Ozpin queen if this was a chess game. His magic was an incredible power and could be used devastatingly if Ozpin tried to use him effectively, with the magic he used and what it could accomplish, with enough physical training then he might in a day be capable of taking on some of Salem's plans single handily. But that time was long off and despite his own magical power, Nat knew he was in no condition to become the queen of Ozpins little chess game.

And he was not foolish, he would not just let himself be used, he would not give his life for Ozpins plans. He could see the threat that Salem possessed, but after that threat was defeated, then the two of them would likely turn on each other. It would be a case of the second world war with the allies, the Soviets, Brits and Americans fought together to defeat Hitler, but afterwards, they were enemies. When Salem was defeated, there was the very real possibility that Ozpin might try to remove the "threat".

In the short term, there might be peace between them, especially since at the moment he had no desire to try and conquer the world or anything, rather he would prefer to live in peace once things had settled down. But things changed, and differences of opinion between the two of them might lead them to rival one another and worse. He would help the wizard for now and deal with Salem, but only time would tell if he was a short or long ally of Ozpins. It was a shame, despite everything he liked this world and with no way to get back he knew he would have to make himself at home.

Not to mention, as much as he liked Atlas despite the small amount of time he had been in the kingdom, he was till Qrow's apprentice and the two of them had to travel across the rest of the world. There was no reason for him to stay here, in fact, it was more detrimental for him to stay in Atlas when the other kingdoms were also at risk and needed help in dealing with their own Salem problems. If he was honest, he liked travelling with Qrow around the world, it was a different experience and it allowed him to learn and experience more than if he was to just stay stuck in one lone location. Not to mention Qrow was laid back, despite his own serious personality, he proffered people who could joke and laugh, especially since he had finished his basic education. He may have given every single piece of time he had towards education or his career, but he had achieved his goals and was planning on relaxing for a while.

The other kingdoms were in far more danger than Atlas was, Atlas had Ironwood and the others to look after it and the establishments in place to make sure that it worked correctly. With a failed attack on them, Ironwood would start hunting down these people on his own leaving him to deal with the other kingdoms. He would go to them with Qrow in the near future likely, and he would then put in the needed things to help protect this world.

He wouldn't be able to tell Qrow or the others about this, they would likely want to try and arrest him, Ironwood would likely have him killed due to his actions in setting off the attack, and he couldn't blame the man. Perhaps there could have been a different way, he did not want to have people killed for no reason, but he wasn't a spy, he did not know the complicated work that went into international espionage. He could only guess and hope for the best, in this case with Ironwood too gung-ho and likely use his power to instantly wipe out Salem's group if he was told of their location, then Salem would simply replace them. Yet he couldn't leave the man uninformed, he and Qrow would likely be leaving soon with their investigation. When that happened, he would not be able to keep going back to Atlas to keep fighting terrorists.

By creating a "rebel" faction in Salems Atlas group, one that only desired to harm Atlas, it was believable for Salem that her agent had lost control or did not know what was happening. It was better if Ironwood tightened up his defences and started to hunt down these terrorists, more attacks would likely come, but this time without his interference there was no threat of Salem thinking that Ozpin was interfering more than usual.

Even so, he still didn't know if his choice was the right one, the deaths of people didn't bother him, he may not want to kill them but that didn't mean that their deaths affected him. He had bigger things he needed to concentrate on, if his plan worked than he might save more lives than he had taken, if not, then it was doubtful that he would have been responsible for the deaths of those who would die. Since nobody besides him knew, only his actions would matter and if he failed, then ultimately it was not his fault for their death, he had tried but without the knowledge or experience to know how to prevent it, he changed nothing.

For now though, with the terrorist bombs dealt with, he had minimised the casualties, even still he would watch from his position as the event unfolded. Later he would watch the casualty count on how many had been killed due to his actions.

Hours Later

Ironwood

"Winter how many did we lose" covering his face as gave an exhausted face, Ironwood walked slowly at the courtyard of what had once been the Academy. Blood was splattered everywhere and around him, the general could see soldiers moving corpses one by one. Briefly he caught the horrified looks of some of the students as they saw the aftermath of the carnage that had occurred, In time they would get used to such a thing, but this was different, the bodies of students lay with those of the terrorist attackers and the soldiers that had given their lives to defend the children.

Up in the air, the man saw Qrow, while he was still in his bird form, Qrow had settled down on a pole and looked around the battle area slowly. Mentally the general made a not to talk to him later, but for now, he was more concerned with his students. When he heard the scream of a person names, he could only watch as some of the older students, children he had known for years rushed past him and cradled the body of one of their friends.

"I've had the reports sir, 87 deaths, but the police have found bombs in multiple offices, if those had gone off, then it would have been far higher" There was a small moment of silence in respect from James before he turned to the woman.

"Find those who are responsible for this, when you do, interrogate them and then execute them; publically". Winter blinked almost scared for a few moments as she heard that, she had heard the man speak sternly before, but this time there was a very real sense of danger from the man. She almost felt sorry for the group that had attacked the academy, when Ironwood found them, it wasn't going to be a pretty picture.

She did worry about Weiss though, both Vacuo and Atlas had been attacked, plus with Torchwick a renowned Vale criminal attacking dust shops, she was concerned for the safety of her sister. She wanted to protect her, perhaps to do that, the best thing for her to do would be to join the drunken bird and help track down those who were responsible for the attack on Atlas. She would be able to get revenge and know that she was helping her country and her sister in one go. She would have to talk to Ironwood when he had the time, for the moment with how angry he was, she wouldn't dare approach him.

 **Authors note**

There's a new poll about a story idea on profile page if you're interested


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

Chapter 15

Kingdom of Atlas

"No fuck no, not a single fucking chance. I am not going to let Miss fucking Ice Queen follow me around Re4mnanat as I go on my mission. Oz gave that mission specifically to me because I actually know what the fucks going on, I've been out there, I've seen the shit Salem's made and trust me, James, its, not something you can just throw your little agents at whenever the fuck you want." Located in the private office of General Ironwood, Qrow yelled at the man as he was given the suggestion by the man.

"This isn't just your mission anymore Qrow, over a hundred people are dead. My school was attacked and My students were killed defending this kingdom. If you seriously believe that I'm going to allow you to just carry on with your business unhindered after all this time, then you don't have a clue." His voice raised, Ironwood met the steely glare of Qorw the two of them seemingly having a deadly staring contest all the while Winter Schnee stood at attention besides her general.

"I have more than a clue than you James. All your little gadgets and toys won't do shit on the type of things that I have to do. I can't just call in a fucking airship and summon forth an army of useless robots whenever things go to shit; some of us actually need to be good at fighting. Winter tried to ignore the comment coming from the usually drunk member of Ozpins little group that she had learned about, but ultimately she could not and gave a harsh glare at the man for insulting her abilities.

"I would have you know that I graduated at the top of my class, and unlike you, I can actually stay sober for more than two seconds. In fact, I bet that's the whole reason that such a man as you needs to drink, otherwise you would just disappoint all of your lovers due to your inadequate ability. Smirking at the dark haired man, Winter rested her hand on the hilt of her blade while posing her head up victoriously.

"Well, at least I know how to perform, unlike miss Mc Virgin Bitch Face over here. I bet you don't even know what sex is with how stuffy you are. I, on the other hand, know how to have some fun, You wouldn't have the first clue what to do, you more likely impale them with your sword than know how to get impale in the fun way" Flashing with rage, Winter took a step forward hoping to intimidate the man only to receive a smirk in return from the man as he looked her over.

"With that sort unrefined behaviour, I'm surprised that anyone would even want to approach you in the first place. Also, I would have you know that I am very experienced in such matters, and are possess far greater talent in that field then you will ever possess." Qrows grin reached new heights as he gave a fake look if being impressed with the woman before went back to arguing with the woman.

"Oh really with who, a grimm, thats the only thing that would be able to stand you. If youre this prudish, I feel sorry for your sister. Going to a huntsman school all alone where she's likely going to be hormonal and surrounded by all kinds of boys, I wonder just how long that Schnee training will last before she's screaming for more"

"You leave my sister out of this" Slashing her sabre through the open air, she went to strike Qrows jugular in hopes of paying the disrespectful man some proper respect and putting him back in the place that he belonged. As her strike neared her opponent's neck, Qrow with his ever casual look effortlessly blocked the shrike deflecting it towards James table forcing it into the table and preventing her from pulling it out.

"Schnee" Her face flickering with rage as she was called out by her commander, the woman struggled for a few seconds to put her sword a way so desperate she was to run him through. What didn't make things any easier was when Qrow thrust his sword into the ground and leaned on it as he began drinking from his flask much to the aggravation of the general? "You as well Qrow". Roling his eyes in response, Qrow gave it a few more seconds of seriously gulping down his infinite supply thanks to the kid before then retracting his weapon and placing it on his back. Only to leave Ironwood sighing as he saw the damage done to his office, a large hole in the floor. Crack, and now his desk had shattered into tiny shards of glass around him.

"Yeah, Yeah whatever." Sternly, Ironwood shook his head as she saw the destruction of his room and those who had caused the significant crisis. He really couldn't understand why Qrow was so dismissive of the woman, she had gone through Atlas academy and was one of the best agents, she had also trained well as well as had served missions out in the field.

"This isn't Vale Qrow, you can't go around doing whatever you want just because Ozpin will cover things up for you. People are dead; the citizens of Atlas will need reassurance that something is being done to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. If Ozpin wants my trust and the recourses that Atlas has to help him in this war, then he needs to work with me for both our sakes. And since your hid lackey dog, that means you need to share important information or risk the entire war against Salem. Tell me Qrow what would you do in my situation"

"Me" Qrow scoffed as he heard the question. "I would put my faith in Ozpin, only he can see the big picture, hes the only one that's fought her before. All us running about helps Oz complete what has to be done, we will never understand that woman like he does, and we will never have the experience or knowledge or power or training to take her on. All our work helps Ozpin deal with the situation, if we risk his plans, then we could jeopardise the whole world. I won't betray him." By now the tension of the room was heating up and once again James could only think about the faces of his dead students, innocent boys and girls who had been killed by terrorists' and the only person who seemed to know anything about what was going on refusing to tell him.

"Ozpin makes mistakes, he said so himself. Not trusting us with everything we need to know, keeping us in the dark and refusing to allow me to use the force necessary to get done what he needs to get done. Rather he prefers to send you out on little fetch quests when I have the entire Atlas military at my disposal, time, energy and resources could be spared if he would allow me to handle these matters. Not to mention the lives, if Ozpin knew about this, then why did he allow innocent children to die, he keeps banging on about protecting ionone, yet allows kids to die."

"Ozpin didn't know this would happen, its why he sends me on these missions. Yout military is all shiny and powerful, but its far to brutish, people won't answer you because they're too afraid. You can't learn important information from people who are dead James, kill every last white fang member you have and what do you achieve, nothing". At the mention of the White Fang, James looked at Qrow with a certain amount od certainty, but also a sense of knowing as his mind processed what this all meant and what he needed to do.

"If we destroy the White Fang, then we would destroy the Winter lackeys and kill multiple thieves rapists murders and all other criminals. Winter, I want you to begin formulating a plan to crack down on the White Fang. Increase police with high Faunus levels, arrest anyone who has enough suspicion, we're going to get the information we need.

"At once sir" Striding towards the door, Winter pulled on the handle only for the door not to move in the slightest. "Its jammed sir, I can't open it."

"Then use force"

"That won't work" Whipping their heads around so fast that it was almost like watching a fighter jet move beyond the speed of sound, Nat stayed still as he stood beside Qrow. James like Winter pointed his handgun at the intruder, however seeing that Qrow was perfectly fine with the young teenager right next to him, lowered his weapon slowly as to no aggravate the situation any further than it already had.

"Winter lower your sword. Qrow who is your friend?" Seeing Winter place her sabre where it should be located and the fact that he had not brought his own out, Nat gave a simple introduction.

"I'm Qrows apprentice, but more importantly I'm the one who is about to stop you from making a terrible mistake" Shocked and curious looks were briefly given to Qrow as they digested the very die that as drunk like him would have an apprentice. What not mentioned by Winter despite how much she wanted too, was the scary idea of a drunk like Qrow teaching children all alone out in the wilderness.

"Qrow is this true" A small look of understanding flashed across Ironwoods face, he never understood why a person like him would want to take on a child as an apprentice, but that once again turned into confusion. Qrow had stated that Winter wasn't skilled enough to join him on missions, due to a lack of experience, yet he would allow a child who wasn't even old enough to enter Atlas Academy to accompany him.

"Yeah the kids with me, saved him from a group of Grimm a while ago and hes not left me alone since. Figured I train him if he was going to follow me everywhere" An annoyed look, was sent by Winter before here eyes widened as she remembered the boy from when's he had sat next to him before she had chased that criminal. He had shared his table with them speaking about he would be returning home after a while, she had thought nothing of it, she wasn't going to investigate random children. Yet now seeing as he was apparently the apprentice of a certain drunk bird, she wished that she had followed up on him.

"You dare speak to General Ironwood like that boy" Winter's voice was stern, she no longer spoke in the typical professional manner she usually did, but rather she unconsciously started speaking in the voice that she would speak to Weiss with. Authoritative in nature, she seemed to demand respect from the child her in her view was likely useless and weak as well as already corrupted due to staying so much time around Qrow.

"Calm Winter let the boy speak" James looked at the boy with not much hope. Qrow was fiercely loyal to Ozpin and if this kid was following the huntsman around like a little-lost puppy due to being saved, then the chances of getting the boy to say something without the permission of Qrow was doubtful. Still, children were a lot easier to manipulate and if he could ask the right questions and say the aright words, then there was a possibility that the boy might reveal more about Ozpins plans.

"This is more than likely a ploy to raise the tensions in Atlas. A failed terrorist attack is going to raise the hatred of Faunus in general due to their connection in the White Fang. People already fear Faunus and mistrust them because the White Fang has essentially become the face of Faunus. If you start to make such rapid increases in police and other security measures that appear like they target Faunus, then the problem is only going to get bigger. Tensions will rise and the Faunus will believe that they are being more oppressed, and when they start to believe that, they give more and more into racist views because all they see are the bad points of humanity".

"Faunus make up the White Fang, they have systematically murdered, kidnapped, blackmailed, raped and many other countless crimes. There is also a higher statistics of crime being committed by Faunus than humans." Nat nodded in response to this, it was something he had heard before quite a few times on the internet at home during the few times he looked into American Politics. "We need higher amounts of police to watch over those who are more likely to commit a crime and reduce those in low levels to make up for the shortfall."

"Usually I would agree, data doesn't lie and the logical response is to do what you've been doing, but the thing is, that what the White Fang wants to happen". Winter furrowed her eyes at the boy not quite understanding why the White Fang who was a Faunus terrorist group would want to see Faunus more and more oppressed when their goal was to destroy and takeover humanity.

"I don't see your point".

"Think if things were opposite, imagine that the Faunus were the ones with more power. You live in a bad part of town and you're told that a stronger military presence is being sent in your area to deal with the crime. The only reason given is that its to reduce the risk of terrorism, only the Faunus area isn't being checked, only human places are because apparently, that's where the terrorists come from. Now at first you think that's fair enough because recently there was a terrorist attack, only as you do your job, you notice that more and more faunus look at you suspiciously because they believe that you may attack them at any moment, they may even not talk to you at all and friends who might have known someone in the attack just break off communication. You yourself have done nothing wrong, in fact you hate these terrorists who are attacking Faunus, but as the pressure builds up due to fear and distrust, as your race is being presented not by those of you who work hard and are generally recent people, but as terrorists who are simply out to destroy Faunus, you start to resent people".

"It starts slowly, the one comment, the fearful or hateful look simply because you're human. This isn't the type of discrimination which can be justified if it's religious or social in nature, but simply because you are human. Eventually, you hate those people you used to be friends with people, and as more and more people you don't even know show you fearful and hatred, then you start to resent those people too. One day you'll here about a terrorist attack where faunus were killed and you don't care because there faunus, then there comes a day when you are happy that people got killed, a while later you support the killing of more faunus and eventually there comes a day when you decide that it's your turn to contribute to the killing, to do your part to help your race in what you believe is oppression. As more and more people join the once despised group of terrorists as they see it as good, then the more people you have to fight. One day, once enough people are mad and feel like there is no other way to change things than through force, you will have a civil war on your hands."

Silence reigned supreme for a few minutes while the other three in the room contemplated his words going over what he had said and playing through the situation. James remembered a few conversations he had with Faunus students who had joined the military and how they had stated that there was nothing else that they could do and how they wanted to protect the ones they loved and to change the reputation. He knew very little about Salem besides the fact that she preferred to first weaken a kingdom then strike, to turn allies against one another as Ozpin had stated. He hadn't believed it at first, this was a new age and why on Remnant would anyone want a repeat of the Great War after all the horrors it had caused.

"Why us, Why Atlas"

"Atlas is the only military kingdom on the planet if a full-scale war was to happen between the kingdoms and Salem, then Atlas at first will be the only nation to fight. How long do you think it would take for Vale, Vacuo and Mistral to build up their armed services after being disbanded so long. Months, years, just training the soldiers alone will take time, let alone to create a fully functioning Navy, Air force and Army. When the war starts, Atlas will not only have to protect itself but also every other kingdom long enough for them to raise their forces. You will also likely have to train them on how to actually manage a fully functioning modern military, your forces will be stretched thin to accommodate, or you will be forced to sacrifice certain kingdoms to strengthen others. If you don't protect the other kingdoms, they will be overrun leaving you all alone with no help when you need it. In fact, things would likely get worse, since the White Fang would take over the kingdoms and then declare war against you.

"Atlas is more than capable of defending itself against such terrorist groups" Nat shook his head to this, while he knew that Atlas was powerful for Remnant, they didn't have the knowledge or the experience to really know what they needed to do in context of what was likely going to be a full-scale massive war.

"You've just suffered the most dangerous terrorist attack in years. Had it not been for the large military presence near the school, then it would have been worse. As it is, you've already lost students to a bunch of untrained lunatics. As for defending yourself against the rest of the world, you don't stand a chance". James was unimpressed, mentally the general was remembering the numbers of soldiers, sailors, pilots alongside warships, guardians, paladins and all other equipment that they had at their disposal. It was quite a lot in his opinion, Atlas had always prided itself on its strength especially so since they were the only Kingdom with a military.

"We have the facilities to manufacture everything we need"

"You don't. Atlas may have a powerful military but it relies on the other kingdoms for trade, recourses, food, and talent. If the entire world turns against you, then do you have the ability to consistently grow the amount of food you would need to feed your population year on year. Atlas is frozen tundra General, your agricultural land is rather limited and most importantly, you have no food security. All it would take would be for on years failed harvest, for one drought one flood to decimate your entire population potentially creating a civil war as people would prefer to live and be under tyranny then die painfully."

"He's right James, the whole world knows about the Schnee dust Company in Vacuo, if you lose that mine then Atlas is fucked. You don't have the dust here, and if the White Fang is already stealing from the Schnee trains, then what do you think they could do with that mine in Vacuo". Shooting an annoyed look towards Qrow, James considered the boy's words and the absolute strategic importance that was the Vacuo mine for the Kingdom, it was something that they could not afford to lose.

"The White Fang would be capable of inventing machines and grow the population of the other three Kingdoms to the point that they could simply overrun us here" A look of concern washed over James's face most likely in Nat's opinion as he tried to think of possible strategies to counter such a dire problem, he caught the momentary glance that James had given him. Respect, it was concise lasting merely a second. Nevertheless, it was still there, he had earned the respect of Ironwood for his thinking, thinking that may save Atlas in the oncoming war.

"Your point is that we cannot afford to risk civil war by handling this measure too harshly. If we do, then once Salem strikes, Atlas will not be able to assist the other kingdoms due to problems at home".

"Divide and Rule" Faced with the seriousness of the scenario, James gave a curt thank you to the kid. It was refreshing for once to actually have an idea of what Ozpins plan was, he may not agree with it, in spite of that, he could plan proper strategies on handling the scenario more efficiently. Already he had multiple ideas, passing over that, he wished to test the boy. Qrow had allowed the child to accompany him into the most dangerous parts of the word, and now he was starting to see why, not for the boy's physical skills, he didn't have that look of a Grimm veteran that's others held. Neither was the boy part of Ozpins inner circle if he had been then he would have been made aware, leaving the boy as a person who knew what was going on but didn't know Ozpins plans; leading him to assume what was going on.

"What would be your plan to deal with the scenario". Asking seriously, Nat studied the man and after looking into the general's mind, he discovered that the man was testing him to see if he wanted to join Atlas Academy. Not as a normal student, rather as Ironwoods own apprentice, it appeared, the man's reasoning behind this line of strategy, was that if Qrow had found him good enough to keep him around, then he may be a decent asset to Atlas. Not that he would accept, of course, Atlas did sound like a promising place, but he was not feeling the need to settle down. While he had only travelled with Qrow for a short time, he had found the experience enjoyable, seeing the different landscapes, talking about the history of the two worlds, and not being seen as a military item t be used as James would surely see him.

"Firstly I would secure key strategic areas, by building up high enough defences and the ability for them to sustain themselves on their own as much as possible. Dust mines will be the most important recourse in the war, you need to store away as much as you can and operate under the constant belief that your shipments could stop at any moment. It is of the absolute most importance that you can keep your soldier's equipment working, and on that subject, invest heavily in new forms of weaponry".

"Like what exactly, a new form of rifle" Nat shook his head at Winters suggestion, he was certainly no expert in war, but he had watched enough things on strategy and especially on the second World War to try and give some pointers on how to fight.

"Artillery, Anti-Air, Anti-Tank, Tanks, Aircraft, Air superiority, Superior Firepower, Logistics, Radar, Sonar, Warships, there's a lot of things that can be used to try and help win the oncoming war." James was intrigued, the names of some of these things he had already heard before, for instance, they used radar to keep track of aircraft flying in their airspace, and they also had their powerful bullheads that could carry miniguns on the front to transport troops into battle or carry cargo containers.

"Explain each one in as much detail as you can". Qrow groaned as he realised that this was likely going to take several hours, of non-stop talking, to try and deal with the situation, he brought out his flask and began drinking. By the time Nat had stopped explaining all his ideas on how to help win a possible war, Qrow was well and truly drunk with a pissed off Winter looking at him.

Hours Later

"So these aircraft carriers you have envisioned, their objective would be to hold fighter and other aircraft and transport them into battle".

"Yes, with advanced fighter aircraft they would enable you to gain air superiority far away from your military bases, and when not at war would enable you to park up on any pace in the world and show power. Think about it, when the war ends there is the chance that the other kingdoms will dismantle their military and any old military bases they might grant you may be taken away after the war. However with a carrier task group, if there's trouble, all you would have to do is send in a few ships and launch your fighters and bomb the shit out of whomever you need to. You can also change the shape of the carriers depending on how powerful they need to be, for example, large ones for fighter jets, and smaller ones for bullheads and transporting troops to the ground."

"Yes, that would work, artillery is useful as you said, but you need to be able to transport it quickly, aircraft move and create the space needed for artillery and can attack from a further distance. It would grant us a dramatic edge in how to fight wars". Turning her attention over to Ironwood, Winter once again was amazed at the sheer amount that the general had written down on possible ways to fight an upcoming war. She didn't have anywhere near as much belief in some random theories and ideas that a kid had, and she doubted that the general did either, yet he was still writing them down. "I will have to put these through several simulators to see if they would work, however, I have a proposition for you"

"And that would be?" Nat knew exactly what Ironwood wanted to propse, and eh adlreay knew his answer to the question. It was a bit of a shame really if things had been different then he might have gone with the general's idea, he wasn't back home where he had a lot more leeway in his actions.

"Should the simulations prove useful results, then I will be willing to grant you a place to work under me for a few years as part of the Atlas military. You will be given an extensive education as well as full pay for assisting military operations alongside Atlesian citizenship. Atlas is always looking for new talent in whatever form it may come from, and you have proven to have an uncanny mind for possible strategy and war if your ideas prove merit than I will be willing to extend to you this opportunity."

"Thank you for the offer, but I prefer being Qrows apprentice. I don't handle authority well. Now that's done, can we leave." And like that, the conversation went back to why Winter was not allowed to accompany the two of them as they went on their mission to uncover Salems plans and stop her from conquering the world.

"Not until you provide a reason as to why I can not send Winter with you. I will not allow for terrorist actitivty to carry on and not being made aware of it. If you wish to leave then you will take Winter with you" Qrow groaned loudly as he heard that, the very idea of taking the Ice Queen with him around Remmnant would be a rather bad one. It was bad enough during school id you were forced into a team of people and you didn't like someone. Spening several years with them until you eventually graduated and you would have nothing else to do. If he and Ice Queen were forced into the same group, then it would be nothing but trouble and constant whining from the woman about not doing things to military standard.

"She's too obvious. With how often you have her at her side not to mention how famous shes due to her family background, we'd lose any chance of secrecy. If we move from village to village, then it will be noted and easily tracked, after all the daughter of the Schnee Company and a special agent in their town would draw unwanted attention. Salem could easily track us through her and the absolute last thing we need is people hunting us while were hunting them." Nat explaimned quickly, what he didn't mention was that he doubted the woman would be able to handle just being with Qrow and him for what might be entire months in complete radio silence. He also had no desire to reveal his magic to anyone else, it was far too dangerous.

In his spare time he had looked up some semblances to see what they could do, and some enable the use of mind reading or detect lies. In the case that Winter got captured, there was a high risk of it being revealed if the enemy was smart in how they used their people during interrogations. While he knew that capture was less of a risk due to his magic enabling him to constantly keep track of anybody with the use of a map ad tracking charm, that didn't mean he could just apparate to a random place on a map. Every second the can be used to interrogate Winter was another second that he had to close the distance in and prevent such an occurrence.

If he was in Salem's place and had just learned about his magic, then the first thing he would do is have the person who had discovered the information executed as fast as possible. When dealing with unknown magic, it was better to be safe than sorry, so he would try to prevent a person with magic reading the mind of a person to see how far they had gotten on with the information that they had learned. While there was no way to determine if such magic could briong the dead back top life still allowing that person to use memories, a dead person was still a lot better than a live person giving you potential extra time in how to deal with the opponent. Salem was brutal, as soon as she learned about his magic, then she would hunt him down.

"She could be disguised" Qrow laughed in response to James's suggestion, holding his stomach as he bent forward to try and prevent the pain that was being caused due to his sheer laughter from the suggestion given.

"Ice Queen, ha, ha. You cant disguise her, its everything about her, the way shje talks moves and fights, far too graceful for the wild. Oh, and she can't exactly bring her hair dryer into the middle of a forest" Dark glares were given to Qrow from Winter. To her, the idea of requiring the constant need to do her hair and act like a prim and proper lady was an insulting one. She had graduated top of her class and entered the Atlas Specialist units undertaking several missions since being given her position. She had met the wealthy elite of Atlas and this drunk dog was nothing but an ant under her feet. He was rude, uncouth, dirty as well as son many ill tempered words and now he had taken a child to corrupt with his decadent ways.

"I have been trained to handle any scenario far more then you have you drunk avian" Qrow smirked mockingly at the woman, he spread his arms openly before then taking yet another drink from his flask before retaliating.

"Oh a drunk avian, well look at you with your fancy language. Tell you what My Lady would you accept this dance from me" Bowing low in an ever insulting and mocking manner at the Schnee, Qrow's actions forced Winters age to skyrocket, Landing her hands on the grip of her sabre again, she was about to unleash them and have another attempt at teaching the man a proper lesson in respect.

"Schnee, Qrow." Ironwoods stern tone broke trough the tension imposing his will on the younger woman to submit to his demand. Her hand retreating from the weapon and eyes burning at Qrow, she waited like a panther. The moment Ironwood left them alone she would teach the man the proper ways of teaching Atlesians as well as knock him down from that high horse he loved to sit on.

"Final reason, I would prefer to get the mission done. Having those two fight and bicker all day, is going to be a tad distracting, not to mention expensive. If Atlas is willing to pay for the inevitable damages that these two are going to create, fair enough, but I'm suing you for every sleepless night.

A quick glance downwards to Ironwoods smashed table and the now destroyed office, indicated that it might be a bit more expensive than Ironwood wanted to pay. Also while he considered Winter a good agent with how she reacted to Qrow, he did not like the idea of being called up in the middle of the night listening to Winters boy problems. Slashed pages of books littered the rooms, destroyed book cases, scrolls, damages furniture, no he was not going to pay for the damages that these two would create.

"Very well Qrow. You and the child and keep doing what Ozpin has said, But I will be speaking to him about this. I will not sit quietly as my kingdom and its citizens are attacked and killed". Gripping his head, James began to feel a headache come on.

"Yeah Yeah see you in a couple of months. You two Ice Queen." Not believing her eyes, Winter whipped round her head to demand awnsers from Ironwood on why he was allowing them to go. Only her action had been the perfect opportunity that Nat had needed them to forget that they had ever seen Qrow and more importantly him in the first place.

Well actually on this occasion, he wasn't going to make them forget but rather place false memories and keep the real ones under lock and key until later. With the way events were unfolding, it was highly likely that he would encounter the two of them again when that happened, it would be best if he didn't have to do constant introductions. Also because Ironwoods offer, was a reasonable backup plan.

He certainly wasn't planning on joining the military soon, from what he had learned, the food was shit, the pay was shit, the hours were shit, the rules were shit. Oh, he knew that militaries needed to run in a certain way to keep them successful and prevent them from falling apart, but the life of a soldier was not for him. For one thing, they would force him to cut his hair and he did not like that idea. Some muggle raised kid had tried to cut his hair as a joke back when he was in Hogwarts, that kid ended up in the hospital wing for a month after losing a duel to him.

Ant had once said that when he got older he should enlist, he said it would be a great way to discover new things and learn new skills. It didn't work, if he was going to go into anything along that route then it would be an auror as it was far more relaxed and far better paid than a soldier. His family was nothing special, but they frequently had provided a lot of aurors since its inception, most likely due to how their family started thanks to the Napoleonic war.

Pulling out of the brief history of his family, he aimed his wand towards the general and woman casting the appropriate charms. It was a more complicated process then just deleting a person's memories. This type of task was not something he could just do by staring the person in the eyes and doing it with wandless magic, he was nowhere near up that skill level. On the other hand with careful applications of delayed stick charms, the two soldiers foundthesmelves unable to move with their arms stuck to their sides. With them face away from him, they were panicking and calling out to Qrow, after the third cry a stunning charm hit them knocking them unconscious leaving him space and time that he needed to work. They would complain later down the line when they inevitably learned who he was, but he would rather not inflict serious mental dameg done to important members of Ozpin organisation.

He only changed the memories slightly, removing his presence from the entire scene but ensuring that the General would keep his ideas of how a modern war could be fought. Certainly, Nat knew he wasn't a general and wouldn't dare to dream as such, but documentaries, tv and listening to your sister's boyfriend prattle on could give hints. He still did not care if the people lived or died, they weren't his people and he had no connection to them, but preferably he would prefer to keep as many people as alive as possible.

As he was not an expert, he only had to wonder how many lives would his decisions cost. So far it was over a hundred dead due to some dying in hospital when the war hit full swing that number would skyrocket. It was so easy to think that his decisions might save lives in the future, that by killing so many people now, more would be saved in the long run. His mind flashed with potential images, a group of soldiers under heavy attack about to be overrun by grim only to be saved when an Atlas equivalent jet passes over on a strafing run. Soldiers who are injured beeign evacuated by bull heads out of action while covered by others using heavy machine guns. Powerful artillery being used to smash and utterly eradicate the existence of the most power grim. Flamethrowers used to force grim and other monsters out of nests they were hiding, Atlas tanks wielding powerful four to six-inch guns tearing through even the elephant grim.

Remmnant had never seen what an industrial war looked like, they had never seen the use of chemical, biological and nuclear warfare. And yet now they had, while he only had a short time to discuss plans with Ironwood, he had described o many potential weapons that could be exploited to decimate the grimm. Weapons he knew would in the future likely be abused, but for now, the immediate future was more vital. Yet he had not once mentioned nuclear weapons and never would. Biological and chemical weapons would be devastating if turned against humanity by Salem. However, if that woman got her hands on nuclear bombs, it was the end of the world.

Salem would not care if mindless grim were slaughtered, butchered, immolated in nuclear fire, with that technology she would win the war forever. He did wonder if such a decision was the correct one, by giving the ideas away, the most horrific experiences that Earth had given, promised made by the peoples of most nations to never repeat the evils that were seen in the world wars, he had taken away the innocence of this world.

Not now but later down the line if Salem was defeated, then the people would use chemical and biological weapons against one another to gain whatever advantage they could. Thousands at the minimum would die because of his choice. All he would have to try and compensate would be the knowledge that without that information, without violently and cruelly pulling the stabilisers of the bike, that he had saved the world to see another day.

He had only given the ideas to James out of fear and necessity. He knew not how powerful Salem was, there was no way of knowing if he wouldnt find himself on the wrong side of the spear. Salem was cruel and vicious, but also manipulative throwing endless hoardes of grim into the fire so she could continue her plan. Grim did not need the intelligence to destroy humanity, only the numbers which were why he had given knowledge of chemical warfare. If the worst came to worst, he was dead, Ozpin and the others were beaten and it was left to Atlas to hold the flame of liberty, then they would need a weapon to defend themselves.

Even if that weapon had been banned by all nations after millions had been affected and killed over it on the bloodied battlefields of Earth over a hundred years ago. Many would condemn him, he did not care not in the slightest. Morality had no place in war.

"You coming kid, we have a group catch" The declaration was a bored one, but one Nat recognised as one also wishing to relax. With a brief look at the man's memories, he saw that the person Qrow wished to relax with, was some girl from the bar. He had gotten used to Qrow keep running off chasing skirts, so long as the man kept it mostly civil, then he would not take action against the man. For the meantime, he wanted to be away from Qrow, he needed to think about things and writing would clear his mind.

With his powerful camouflage spell working again, and all cameras as well as other recording equipment disabled, the gripped the man looking after him and apparated. They still had leads to track, and they would likely leave Atlas soon. Which was a shame as he liked Atlas, then again, perhaps he might be able to convince Qrow to let him stay for a few weeks.

?

"Would you care to explain how such an attack was allowed to take place" The figure gulped audibly, their skin shivered eyes downcast aimed towards the floor desperately fighting the urge to gaze up into those dark endless malicious red eyes of the heads Grimm. While spoken softly, a feeling of utter dread and horror spread through the entire persons being.

"You're, your, your Grace I don't know. I strictly ordered them not to attack. I've already executed those who led the assault, the rest know not to disobey your orders" Blazing at him with utter malice, the queen of the Grimm stared down her opponent into a nearly whimpering mess. To the side of the disgusted looks were given from the others besides Tyrian, he looked on with glee at the prospect of murder.

"And yet it happened anyway". The tone sharpened while images of news outlets and their most recent proposals revealed the newest shocking story all over the world. "Vacuo was a trial, one that could be explained due to the constant presence of Grimm. A repeat was not to occur in Atlas or any of the others. Are you even aware of the consequences of your failure" Hopelessly the figure looked towards one of the member's eyes begging for assistance in this matter? He received none.

"Your failure has led to a rampant arms production in Atlas. The kingdom is on standby, conscription is in full force, military sites all over the world constructed. Intense investigations, scrutiny of all assets and especially employees of major firms crucial to Atlas, war games are being held, and there are rumours of experimental new weapons going into production". Known only as Watts, the man stared down at the failure who had been brought before them. This persons failure had cost their plans drastically, however instead of an incredibly angry queen as he had been expecting, the woman was somewhat happy with the scenario.

"I'm sorry please forgive me. I will find everyone who was involved and execute them, I'll put spies where they need to go, I'll create fake stories to throw people off guard. " Collapsed to their knees, the figure looked at the queen of darkness, her face was stern but relaxed. Gliding towards them she stopped just before them, feeling their hair in her fingers Salem smiled gently.

"You are forgiven" Eyes widened from all as they looked at the woman who was being unusually kind. "Atlas is in a panic, tension in the kingdom is not rising as I had hoped, but outside the kingdom there is panic. A sudden build-up of weaponry and manpower suggests that there is going to be a war soon. They are right. Vacuo, Mistral and Vale are suspicious thanks to your mistake, their keeping a very close eye on Atlas, without knowing of our existence, a sudden build-up of arms can only be directed towards one thing. War. Now we get to watch the kingdoms scuttle about in terror as they try to work out why.

Their fear of the unknown will be their downfall.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 16**

Menagerie

"Hey Pyrrha it's been a while since we last talked, how have you been" Sitting comfortably under the shade, Nat leaned back in his chair while he took in the sights of discount Australia. Compared to the nicer cold climate of Atlas that he had previously enjoyed weeks ago, he was now back in a horrid sun blazing place where one was likely to get sunburnt all over. Why people liked to visit places purely so they could endure the arduous sweat and headache-inducing warm weather, he would never be able to understand. He was just glad that yet again his clothing was enchanted to withstand such temperatures less he is covered in sweat and barely able to move anywhere. Fuck Australia's warm weather, he liked his foggy home, he liked the rain, the cool temperatures, the snow, the large amount of grassland and the freezing seas, far better than being on some continent tucked at the bottom of the world where everything had evolved to kill humans.

When he called Menagerie discount Australia, he really did mean it. Australia was a rich nation with modern cities and infrastructure, in other words, a normal advanced western civilisation. Menagerie, in contrast, reminded him far more of some sort of holiday resort in the Pacific islands, not that he was sure, he had never visited South East Asia. The houses were made of wood and were certainly thinner in the construction, although, with the constant battering of the suns hot rays, that was most certainly to be expected. The houses also weren't ugly, he wasn't lying when he said that it looked like a holiday resort, because the place did, in fact, look like a place that many people would wish to visit. How willing the majority faunus population would be welcome to vast amounts of tourism, he says that they'd accept it so long as it was only major tourism.

It was interesting, by now he had visited all bar one of the kingdoms on his journey with Qrow, something that took most Huntsmen years to complete if they were the roaming kind. Menagerie like Atlas and all the other kingdoms had its very noticeable quirks, most of which originated because of its inhabitants. Unlike the bridges and narrow pathways of Mistral the neat and orderly housing complexes of Atlas and the quite frankly chaotic mess that was Vacuo, Menagerie was a neat and clean place with streets that were labelled, but not so easy to navigate as somewhere like Atlas with its block design.

All buildings were separate giving each homeowner a sense of privacy and also again perhaps to allow for heat to escape easier by giving more sides to escape from. To protect from floods, all of the houses were built on stilts. With such a design, it was rather obvious that the inhabitants of this far off continent likely suffered from heavy rainfall as evidenced more by the steep roofs. Another theory he had on the construction of the construction of Menagerie housing, was that it might be designed to be easily constructed. If heavy storms which ripped up houses were a problem, perhaps the houses were cheap and easy looking to make so they could recreate a house. Although without being an architect, he didn't know if this theory was correct.

"I'm sorry, Everything has been so busy since we started that I only just found the time. Can you forgive me" On the phone, Nat heard the apologetic tone of Pyrrha as they conversed for the first time in over two weeks? He had wished the girl luck the night before she was supposed to start, something she was grateful for and told her that he would wait for her call so as to give the girl enough time to settle into her new life.

"You're fine Pyrrha, I said that I would talk to you whenever you wanted and I perfectly understand what's going on, no need to apologise. So you want to tell me how things went". Back in her room, Pyrrha smiled as she remembered the crazy shenanigans that she and team RWBY had been up to since their first day. There was so much to tell her friend from the interesting way she had saved Jaune from plummeting straight into the ground to when she and team RWBY had teamed up and fought a giant nevermore and death stalker together.

"Oh it's been hectic, but great fun. I'm in a team called Juniper, my three teammates are a bit off at times, there's Nora who has here giant hammer and really likes her pancakes, there's Ren who's really quiet at times and then there's Jaune who's uh Jaune". Looking out over to the sea, Nat watched carefully as Qrow once again approached some of the Faunus ladies that charismatic grin on his face with those red ruby eyes glinting in suggestive ways. Normally it was amusing to see some ladies laugh in his face, only this time the man had gotten smart and went for a swim. Emerging from the water with water running down his chest, the man was defiantly getting some rather hungry looks from the women and a few water Faunus were already swimming up to him. Nat returned back to Pyrrha.

"This Jaune guy what's he like?" Looking behind her into her room, Pyrrha smiled as she saw Jaune being Jaune which in this context meant that he went to sit down in his chair to start some work only for him to pull it out too far and miss his target sending him colliding ass first with the floor. Pyrrha smiled at that and gave a slighter wider smile when she saw the slightly goofy smile on the blondes face as he rubbed his head.

"Jaunes nice, he needs a little practice, but I'm sure he will be a great Huntsman" As the champion of Mistral talked, Nat noted the fondness of her tone. There was something about this Jaune that Pyrrha seemed to like, perhaps it was his looks perhaps it was his personality, whatever it was the girl had seemed to develop a fondness for her teammate.

"You sound rather fond of him, how did you too meet" Sparing a glance to her handsome friend, Pyrrha wondered if she should lie to her first friend, the one who had helped her and talked to her time and time again before she could get to Beacon, by saying telling the truth, or should she lie so as not to damage Jaune's feeling in case he was listening. Pyrrha decided on the latter.

"There was a problem with Jaunes plate and it ruined his take off, he was going to hit a clear area without any way of protecting himself so I threw my spear at him to save him" Having seen Qrows memories of the initiation, Nat knew exactly what Pyrrha was talking about. How Ozpin had come to the conclusion that catapulting students off a cliff into the air with more power than an Americans Aircraft carrier he didn't know, but it did luck funny in the memories. But he was slightly more interested in how Pyrrha had saved her friend, people usually didn't throw spears at people to save them, rather it was quite the opposite.

"Pyrrha when I said that you'll find someone at Beacon that you might like, I didn't mean to pin the poor bastard to a tree. But hey if you're into that type of thing, who am I to stop you and S&M desires. In fact embrace them, as soon as your other teammates are gone, pin Jaune to the wall and ravish him to your heart's content"

Silence reigned from Pyrrha as she blushed from head to toe, behind her, Nora and Ren noticed that their friend had stopped still and was starting at their blonde teammate entirely red. Nora grinned evilly, whoever Pyrrha was speaking to, they had just managed to make the girl blush entirely and make her so shy and embarrassed that she started to stutter.

"I, I don't li, li"

"Relax Pyrrha, I'm only joking. Don't pin him to the wall, get a full on sex dungeon instead, you know whips and all that business. Knowing you you'll likely have the guy calling you mistress in ten minutes at most" By this point Nora laughed out loud as Pyrrha rushed out the room to embarrassed to risk allowing anyone to hear the conversation, Jaune, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of what was being said about him as he got on to do his school work. Finally, alone, Pyrrha carried on with the conversation.

"Nat how could you say that" Nat despite not being able to see him, Nat kept up his calm facade back at Menagerie although putting up a fake happy and joking voice so Pyrrha could hear.

"I'm your friend Pyrrha, It's my job to embarrass you just as much protect you from anyone who isn't worthy of you." Pyrrha blinked at that, Nat was trying to protect her from people. She couldn't see Jaune being some type of horrible person, he was clumsy at times and he wasn't exactly the most brilliant student, he also lacked obvious training and skill when it came to his weapons, but he wasn't a bad person. In fact, Jaune was one of the kindest people she knew, always willing to help other people and especially their team or team RWBY, always soft-spoken and never seemed to get angry even when Cardin pushed him around.

"Oh that's nice, but Jaunes perfectly fine. Besides I want to keep telling you about Beacon. There are so many things I want to say, but I guess thank you for telling me about wearing thicker clothing, it is colder here than Mistral but according to Weiss is far colder in Atlas. It makes me feel so sad for them up there, not being able to enjoy a warm breeze or swim in the sea." Frankly, Nat was off the other opinion, he far preferred Atlas over any of the other kingdoms for its climate, the nice cool breeze and the snowfall was always a relaxing and calming sight. Unlike where he was currently, lounging in a wooden chair staring out into the ocean while men and women wondered about dressing in light clothing or in the case of younger people, in nothing but swimwear as they soaked up the sun. He had already decided that Menagerie was his second least favourite kingdom, though at least he didn't have sand blowing into his mouth twenty-four seven.

"I'm sure there are some people who prefer colder climates to warmer ones. But tell me more about the school, the library the teachers, the lessons, is it everything you hoped for" Internally, Nat glared at Qrow as he continued to splash about in the waves alongside some new lady friends. Bloody drunk bird and his obsession with the beach and picking up women, had it been up to him he would have entirely avoided the beach. Unfortunately, he still had to stay close as they were passing the time waiting for something to happen from rumours going around. Qrow had elected to take that time showcasing his bodies or in his words combined with that smirk of his. "Giving the ladies a real good show" That left him as the one responsible for subtly checking out the people in the local area. Of course, it made sense since unlike Qrow all he needed to work out person intentions was a simple piece of eye contact and he had all he needed. Still, it would have been nicer to spend some more combat training, he was getting better at it since, with his ability of apparition, Qrow didn't have to walk as much leaving far more time for training.

"Definitely, the teachers are a bit odd at times, Professor Oobleck has a tendency of rushing around everywhere with coffee, and professor Port regularly regales us with sorties when he was a young Huntsman. Professor Goodwitch is quite good, but some of the other students don't like her because she's strict but Headmaster Ozpin is really mysterious, you should have heard his speech" Nat gave a false smile as one of the waitresses approached his table with the meal he had ordered, giving a quick thank you, he took out his wand and gave it a quick test just to make sure it wasn't poisonous. Qrow could enjoy the lavish attention that he was granted by the attractive women as much as he wanted, Nat was very content reading a book on his kindle, watching Qrow make moves on women, observing the surroundings, speaking to Pyrrha and now tucking into a nice looking meal.

"Interesting, so who's this other team you work with, you mentioned something about team Ruby". One of the many advantages of having semblances in this world Nat found, was the ability to perform limited magic out in the open. In this case, he disguised his magic as telekinesis and used it to levitate the kindle in front of him as well as lift the fork to bring him his food alongside keeping his scroll to his ear. Despite him showing off his so-called semblance, having his hands free kept him ready to strike should it be needed?

"Yes, there a good friends and great girls. There's Ruby Rose, the youngest, she's a bit hyper at times, but I guess that expected seeing as she entered Beacon two years early. Then there's Weiss who is a little chilly at times and I've seen her argue with Ruby, but she pays attention in class a lot. After Weiss is Blake, She's really quiet and is reading all the time, I've asked to borrow a book once or twice but she seems rather... protective of them. Finally, there's Yang, Yang is uhm fiery. She likes to flirt a lot but she's a great fighter with her fist, I've also heard she had a motorbike at the school." Pyrrha chuckled when she talked about Yang, despite her feeling bad for the boys that Yang teased and did nothing, she knew Yang wasn't a bad person and was only having fun with them.

"So how was your first day Pyrrha?" Looking down at the markets below, Nat noted some of the original people he wanted to speak to. Dressed in their almost religious-like clothing with those maroon coloured headpieces that seemed to be shaped like a canines jaw, subtly he paid them careful attention. The White Fang members didn't seem armed, but he knew all too well how easy it was to hide weapons in baggy clothes. Had he been on Earth, then he would have expected daggers or wands, but in Remnant and their weapon forging technology, he should be expecting something like a mini-gun or assault rifle.

"Oh about that, we kinda overslept and was late for our first lesson" Pyrrha spoke ashamedly as she informed her friend the story of her lateness. She and the others had been so excited the night before, that they had stayed up far longer than they should have done. resulting in them in falling asleep later which in turn forced them to wake up only ten minutes before class. "However we haven't been late since Ren has even got a strategy to create enough pancakes for Nora that she doesn't stay behind". Having heard about Nora from Pyrrha, it appeared to Nat that this hammer-wielding girl was a serious gluten, how the girl managed to stay thin was most likely due to her constant activity.

However, his more immediate concerns were on the White Fang slowly and peacefully waking their way up the dirt path cheerfully greeting the market owners. The White Fang had taken root in this isolated continent full of Faunus. Unlike the majority opinion outside the continent who saw the White Fang as a terrorist organisation that needed to be wiped out, there was a lot more support for the White Fang in its original form. When the Faunus here said that they supported the White Fang, they meant the group of protestors and non-violent methods of challenging ideology, the group which had helped people Faunus or human, the group which was pushing for equality.

There were far fewer recruits in Menagerie than in the other kingdoms, but this was because unlike the other kingdoms that were human-led, Menagerie was a predominantly Faunus population with a very small minority of humans on the island. This led to a place where the Faunus weren't oppressed. as well as a society who had no desire to really interact with the outside world because of the politics involved. Rather the people were happy with their small village like communities. Faunus here despite having a mistrust of the outside world, did seem to treat humans with far more respect than one might have thought, neither he or Qrow had been given death glares.

Ultimately, there was still evil hiding on this continent. Unlike the other continents, his usual strategy of confronting the White Fang would not work here. The White Fang on this island were different and only a small amount of the terrorist's group was acting here, but it was still a problem, Should he attack the White Fang or use violence or be noticed, then public opinion on humans would change. He also couldn't afford to give his position away or get into debates less he is photographed or make a fool out of himself. Should he publically insult the White Fang then he would not be welcome and play into the small number of terrorist hands? While he had yet to meet these terrorists with how well they had hidden amongst the civilian population, he had no doubt that they were here. His theory was that this was from where they collected revenue from, disguised as normal peaceful White Fang, they likely smuggled some donation money and sent it to their terrorist leaders.

"So this Nora girl, she sounds a bit like a clutz" Pyrrha shook her head.

"No she's unique, but she's not a clutz and Ren is usually able to control her when he needs to."

"That's good Pyrrha, not what about the library, I remember you looking forward to it when you left. Is it as good as you hoped, or is it lacking a bit" Before she had left, Pyrrha had spent multiple hours talking about her new school with her friend? Pyrrha had spoken about the history of the school some of its best students why she wanted to leave for another continent alongside the facilities that were offered there alongside the experiences one could make. All in all, talking about school want something that Nat was interested in, but he assumed it was the equivalent of planning for going to University and all the independence one would get.

"Yes, there are so many books here they also keep a few board games here. Beacon is a brilliant school, I hope when you're old enough that you can come here" To be honest, Nat wasn't sure if he would want to attend a huntsman school, the fact that he would be forced into a team with three other people for multiple years at a time and in one single room. There were bound to be accidents and mistakes, with mixed gender rooms, that meant that mixed gender teams were likely going to see one another's most intimate areas whether on purpose or not. There was also bound to be a lot of drama and high stakes when you spent so much time together for so long, according to Qrow it was rather common for teammates to develop romantic feelings for one another. Also according to Qrow, when couples wanted to be more intimate with one other, they would make deals with their teammates to get the room alone.

Honestly, Nat didn't think he could stand the idea of having to share a room with anyone, Ravenclaw's had their own private rooms which were often needed. Compared to the partying of Gryffindor or camaraderie of Hufflepuffs Ravenclaws studied a lot. It wasn't uncommon for the members of the house of blue and bronze to take regular all-nighters to study and learn, that was what the culture was and was something he was used to. Very late nights and early mornings with the bare minimum of sleep, Ravenclaw's would never be able to work efficiently if they had to worry about the sleeping habits of other raven claws by not having their music or lights on. With what his normal schedule was, he would likely be a nuisance for any team he might be on and would, therefore, need his own room just to ensure he didn't affect any team members own education alongside making sure nobody disturbed his sleep. Oh and the fact that he liked his privacy alongside not wanting to sleep in a room that would surely at some point or another smell like sex.

"I still have a good few years before I end up anywhere Pyrrha, you enjoy your time making friends find yourself a boyfriend, preferably without pinning him to a tree first. And if you ever need to speak to someone, ring me up and I'll do what I can. But for now you can talk to me about any random thing you want, Team RWBY, Ozpin, things that are happening at school or things happening in Vale in general."

Despite his polite tone, there was a purpose of trying to get Pyrrha to talk about what was going on in Vale. Unlike the other kingdoms, Qrow wanted to stay away from Vale as much as he could since that was where h was typically located. When the man had found Autumn being attacked by those three individuals, he had made himself known to them and the rest of Salem's group. As he was typically stationed in Vale, it made it easier for the enemy to know where he was and place something or someone around Vale to keep an eye on his activities. By not being in the kingdom it prevented the spies from knowing where he was and giving Ozpin the edge he needed to act subtly with one of his best agents. Qrow was also more recognised as a Vale huntsman, so the closer he was in the kingdom the higher the chance of being identified by normal people potentially blowing his cover.

"A few people are worried that Grimm or White Fang are going to attack Vale. It might just be my imagination, but the students seem to be on edge and there are more Huntsman and police in the city then I thought there would be." Integrally Nat nodded, it seemed that part of his plan on causing the attack on Atlas had worked. He had caused a certain amount of fear to take hold in Vale, enough to raise the amount of average security which was a good thing. More Police and more huntsman would help deal with the dust crisis affecting the city which was surely part of Salem's plan in arming the group. Also, it may lead to Vale citizens whisper at first about the need of maybe forming a small army to defend themselves.

An army was Nat wanted for Vale to talk about. If he could manipulate events in Vale to get them to start building an armed service, it would lighten the load Atlas would have to bare and make sure that it was more prepared for the upcoming war. There was no date for when the war would begin, but if Vale which was arguably the second strongest nation could have the facilities and training in place, to train its soldiers when the war broke out, then there was a higher chance for victory.

It was a really ineffective version of NATO, Atlas was the United States and therefore the one who would shoulder on the biggest responsibility. In a war, it would be the US who fielded the most troops, supplies, equipment, logistics and take the brunt of any war. They would likely lose more soldiers than any other nation and they would pay more to win the war, all the other nations despite being considered strong for normal nations, couldn't really do much against a powerful opponent. It would be the same for Atlas, the northern nation would be the one who would most undoubtedly lose a lot of men and supplies and be the biggest supplier, something that would likely be despised by many of its citizens. However, they were the only nation that could really actually do anything in the upcoming war, getting Vale and the other kingdoms to start to raise a military was simply a way of decreasing the amount of pressure on Atlas.

If his plan worked, then Vale would have the technology and facilities to if not push back the enemy, hold them at the gates on their own long enough for a smaller Atlas force to assist them in striking back. And the smaller the size of the Atlas force, the more forces and supplies it could spend on Mistral and Vacuo. But that was all in theory, he wasn't a general and neither had he played strategic war games on a computer or served in the military. Things always sounded so much easier when though in one's head, it wasn't an easy thing just to raise a proper functioning modern military.

Yeas you could give some random people guns and show them how to fire it, but to asymmetrical warfare would not work on the Grimm. There weren't any people to win the hearts off, there was going to be no Grimm overlords who enslave humans and Faunus using them for whatever desire they pleased, there would only be death. And in that case, they needed more than cheaply made assault rifles and RPG's they needed proper logistics and industry as well as the ability to last on their own without help.

The moment a full-scale war started, the air would be filled with flying Grimm and sea filled with water Grimm, would attack any ship they have. Depending on the current tactics, there was a very real chance that every kingdom could be split off from one another. Every kingdom that fell gave Salem more manpower, more recourses and more industry. At first, Salem may not be capable of getting to Atlas due to their dominant power, but with time she could build up ships, aircraft guns, tanks until she had far more than she needed and she was out-producing Atlas. When that happened, Atlas would fall and the war would be lost. It was for this exact reason, why the other nations of Remnant had to pull themselves out of that dream of theirs and actually rebuild their armed services.

Unfortunately, the nations of Remnant were far more scared by their last war than the Earth nations ever had been. They Dismantled their armies, navies and war industry, being very anti-war in everything and a general low approval of Atlas. In times of peace, it worked as there was no threat of having a war with another nation even if that did mean giving up all the worlds hard power to Atlas. Now it was a curse that he had to scare the other nations out of if they desired any chance of survival in the upcoming war.

Fear and fear alone would smash down these walls that the kingdoms had built, fear would shatter the little protective bubbles the other kingdoms have been living in and show them how nasty the world really was. With fear of the Grimm of the White Fang of the need for the average person to know that there was a strong competent force waiting to attack them, then he could possibly protect him. People could take the piss out of police and army all they wanted considering them tyrants, but when a threat came from an outside source, they shut up and forgot their earlier problems. In this case, he had to strike hard and fast with fear, scare the citizens of the world for what could happen and that they needed to fight and be ruthless to keep their happy comfy lives.

His goal was getting closer if Pyrrha was correct. He had been forced to kill people to protect this world from the monsters that inhabited it but what was a few lives when the entirety of humanity was at stake, Salem would betray all those who had helped her the second her larger threats had been decimated. Taking those lives wasn't in the same vein as so many dictators had done and said before, it wasn't to better humanity because of what he thought would be the best course for people. He wasn't killing people in the name of the greater good sending them off to death camps to die because he hated a certain group of people or in some cases as he believed foolishly that humanity should be united or for some idol fantasy like communism. His actions were simply survival, and when the war struck full force nobody would care that he was responsible for the death of a hundred people. Hundreds of thousands would be dead maybe, even more, those he had sent to their graves early would be simply numbers in a statistic. He only hoped that his actions could lower what the final tally would be.

Despite this, something was pressing on the back of his mind piercing him with a question he did not want to answer. Was he doing the correct actions, by this point he knew he was not walking down the "right" path? His actions had caused the deaths of innocent's in his vision, undoubtedly any future actions would add to that. How many people were going to have to die until he felt that his actions had been the correct one, that he had taken the better of two evils? Was he walking the same path that so many others had walked before him so lost in what they perceived to be the right thing that their actions and course were the lesser of two evils or worse the right thing to do? In the end, was he doing what he despised, using the same bloody excuse that so many tyrants had done before? Was he acting in order of the greater good?

Whether he was or wasn't, he felt himself more and more no longer caring about what others thought about his action. The thoughts of that they would never understand what he had to do in order to save lives were becoming prevalent. It was ever so easy to judge and criticize a person for their actions when one merely watched as a bystander from the sidelines harping on about how they would have seen things more clearly and made a better decision. In contrast, when they were placed in the same position they would make the same mistakes or choices as the one they looked down on. Was that what he was becoming? A person who would never care what those not in the same position care about, maybe it was.

In truth he couldn't bring himself, to care. He would take every decision he had up to this point again. There was no such thing as good and evil, only perception and in his view despite not wanting to kill people, his actions would work to save more people than they would dam. He had never regretted his actions in Atlas and he still didn't, his concern was more on what he was becoming and that there was no way to prevent it. His main concern, was that in the future if the war is won or lost and he had refused to take actions on the grounds of some idea of morality, that so many people who could have lived had died instead as he who was in a position of power to act had designed not to under his own selfish idea of what was right and wrong.

Not allowing his mind to wonder more than it already had and risk his current investigation, Nat yanked himself out of his mental debate and refocused on the task at hand. If he wished to debate his actions and morality then he could do so later once he had privacy and people's lives were no longer at stake. For now, he had a rouge group of white Fang to hunt down and expose.

"Nat are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here Pyrrha. Sorry about the pause I was just thinking about something if you want to talk about anything else than go ahead." On her end, Pyrrha had been discussing the topics of her new school life and telling her friend about the unsettled looks that some of the people had. She hadn't thought much of it, but then her friend had stayed entirely silent. Not one word, not one sound, she had thought that there was some kind of connection problem until he had replied that he was thinking about something. She frowned when she heard that, was her friend okay?. None of the other friends she had made here just randomly went silent for no reason all of a sudden. Ren and Blake when they were tired of the conversation would say something to excuse themselves but her friend had simply gone silent.

"Are you okay, you can talk to me if you want?"

"I'm fine Pyrrha, I wasn't having any deep thoughts, just wondering what Huntsman school I should go to if I ever can". Sighing in relief, the red-headed girl was thankful that nothing was affecting her oldest friend; he had helped her great amount in the small amount of time that they had known each other. He had given her so much great advice and even with his younger age it was nice to have someone to talk to and relay her feelings and thoughts to. She didn't dislike Ren or Jaune or Nora or anyone else, but none of them felt right to just talk about things.

"That's wonderful, I would say you should come here to Beacon, I could show you around in your first year" What wasn't mentioned was that by the time Nat would make it to beacon by normal educational standards, Pyrrha would be in her last year and had grown up considerably with her new friends likely relying on them more and more as time went on. It would be gradual, but by the time he came along, Pyrrha would be an adult and he would be a slightly older teenager. Not that he had a problem with that, Pyrrha would most assuredly be constantly studying for her exams and therefore not able to give him much time as she had her own problems. After the first year, Pyrrha would go on her missions as a fully qualified huntress likely travelling often while he would be in school. Communication between them would be minimal if at all and when he would finally graduate, so much time had passed it would leave them as acquaintances at most until they both decided never to contact one another.

It wasn't a pretty scenario, but growing up was never the fairytale that they showed on TV where the teenagers would have a relationship and stay together getting married. People drifted apart and Nat had a feeling that come the end of this first school year for Pyrrha, she would contact him less and less. Perhaps by the time he did eventually come to the age of joining Beacon, that she would have forgotten all about him.

"Maybe, anyway how are things in Vale, I've seen reports of dust theft"

"Oh, well its a problem, dust is getting really expensive here. A few students can't afford to get new dust because of the cost, hopefully, the police will sort it out soon" That was another concern Nat had, was the thievery of dust intended to spike the prices of dust in Vale. With dust prices rising it was on a path to severely disrupt Vale and its citizens. The poor and working class would be affected first, they couldn't eat as much as they would not be able to afford the dust bills, the same would be for water. Later as the prices were raised, transportation would be affected making cars more expensive to use as would public transportation. If people couldn't get to work, then they couldn't do their jobs and earn money and without people earning and spending money, there would be an economic crash leaving people homeless or without jobs. Hospitals and other services were going to be affected, less crime would be sorted to since if the price of dust continued to rise, police officers would either get laid off nor not be deployed as much leading to higher social unrest and easier movement for the White Fang.

Not to mention, he is own plans of getting Vale to rebuild its armed services would not take root if the problem of rising dust prices isn't dealt with. For all the fear that the people of Vale would feel, after a certain time with no attack, people would wonder why they were spending so much on national defence when the average person may not be able to drive a car, a rise in children raised in poverty. Anger would be directed towards the council, even if a revolution did not take hold after an extended period of time and worsening circumstances, the increase in anger, suffering and pain will bring scores of Grimm.

Salem was playing her game well, and he was forced to only deal with one situation to keep things safe and prevent his identity from leaking. Yet his inability to strike hard against the terrorists, and prevent Salem's plans from rising was going to cost them in the long run when the war came. Focusing his attention back onto Qrow, he planned out their next move. They had to step up their game in Menagerie, the faster they found the ones supplying the White Fang and other terrorists with money, the faster they could help deal with the situation in Vale.

Torchwick had to be dealt with, the man was most likely just a pawn in Salems plans, but nevertheless, a pawn that had to be dealt with. Vale was the second strongest kingdom even with no army, it had the industry had farmland nearby to help Atlas build the machines and weapons that were going to need to be made. Vale was also the kingdom that if by some chance Salem did allow for the White Fang to be given control of a city, that Vale would become the capital of any new White Fang nation. Torchwick would also likely know someone who was working for Salem, and that information could be used to deal with the Grimm lady.

For now, though he was stuck on some Australia rip off waiting to find the one set of White Fang agents that were part of the terrorist group rather than just the charity workers. Because that was all he was dealing with, all the White Fang members he had seen were charity workers wearing their uniform and none of them knowing the terrorist groups. Below him, the two he had been tracking turned revealing their eyes, taking advantage he looked into their eyes accessing their minds for a brief moment only to sigh internally. Again, this group weren't terrorist and just the normal charity kind.

Where were they hiding, he had already checked every single White Fang members house and workplace and nothing gave him the answers he wanted. Could they have been away assisting the terrorist group under their masks and black and white clothing? Maybe they had seen Qrow arrive and recognising him had promptly hidden as fast as they could or leave on a boat to get away. As a general rule, the two of them were staying away from each other when around other people.

Qrow enjoyed being the centre of attention and being the one basking in the glory and sometimes showing off to the lovely young women he came across. Nat, on the other hand, lurked in the background acting like another citizen typically under a magical illusion to prevent anyone from recognising him. Currently, he looked older than he was had a more tanned appearance messy black hair, green eyes and a set of wolf ears on his head. For some reason, he had noticed that wolf Faunus were extremely regular and popular for some reason; Whether they liked the ears of the tail more he couldn't say, but despite eating peacefully, he could already feel a few appreciative glances being sent his way. Something that just got worse.

"Excuse me could we sit here?" Approaching from his left side, a gaggle of three girls dressed in bikinis with their bodies still wet from just having swum in the sea approached him. Blushes were evident on their face as was the flirtatious grins on their faces. The three didn't wait for an answer, instead simply making themselves at home as they sat on the seats and gave him that weird and slightly disturbing look. They were eying him like a piece of meat, one of them even tried to place her finger on his arm. Internally he sighed, he hadn't thought that his disguise was that good looking, maybe it was because of his dark clothing and the sword that was next to him. He knew the old saying that girls like bad boys or some nonsense such as that, but was that what they were seeing in their eyes, a handsome huntsman faunus. He had to get rid of them. Silently he withdrew his wand and updated his illusion slightly.

"I'm married" Dear Merlin did that sound horrible, the very idea of being in a relationship let alone marriage was one he truly despised. He much preferred his freedom, and why would he even dare risk getting in a relationship in the modern day, courts, public pressure and perception, career and were all stacked against him. As for sex, it was a simple act and nothing more, he had no desire or need for a relationship. In fact as far as he was concerned a happy life was one where he died alone with no children or descendants and had lived for himself, fuck family he had never needed it and never really had it besides Kate but she was generally to busy to be constantly pestered by him. He had nobody and needed nobody and he wanted it to stay that way for the rest of his life.

"Oh don't worry we won't tell" Batting her eyelids at him one of the girls a cat Faunus to be precise gave him that hooded and sultry look that promised pleasure. Nat was wondering if having Qrow come along was a good idea, sure the man would tease him, but it was better than being in this stupid position. And what type of women kept pestering a man who said they were married.

"Yeah, it's selfish of your wife to keep someone as handsome as you all to themselves." Flicking his eyes over to his scroll, Nat hoped that Pyrrha would be able to play along. Dear Merlin did he hope she could play along with what he wanted to do, otherwise, he was going to have to draw attention to himself as he got rid of the girls. There was also no chance of putting up a privacy charm as others had taken notice and a few older gentleman were giving him smirks.

"I'm glad you let my wife know, I'm talking to her right now. Pyrrha honey, there's some girls here who want to take me away from you. Do you want to talk to them" Turning the volume onto loudspeaker, Nat faced the phone towards the girls who had actually gone slightly pale.

"Please get away from my beloved. He means a lot to me and I would hate to have to come over there and break your legs and then shove them down your throat" It was spoken in an irresistibly sweet tone showing affection, yet the words scared the shit out of the girls who promptly picked up their food and scampered away looking like they were going to shit themselves. "How was that" Turning the phone off loudspeaker, Nat actually started to feel slightly sorry for anyone Jaune might take a fancy too. It may have only been an act but Pyrrha was rather possessive, as in he could feel that had this been for real then she might have killed the three women if they tried anything. All of a sudden he had an urge to tell Jaune not to pursue anyone for their sake.

"I feel sorry for the poor sods whoever threaten the person you love. Otherwise brilliant Pyrrha thank you." Now with his privacy restored, Nat kept his eyes drifting from one person to another hoping that he might just find the one person who may have a clue on where to look for possible terrorist sympathisers. Not that he was feeling particularly lucky, with his current score his best strategy would be rather to interrogate the leader of this nation to try and gain the identities but even then he wasn't too sure. The problem was Ghira Belladonna had stood down and left the White Fang after its members decided to walk down a more radical path. As such he doubted that the man would really know anything unless it had anything to do with his missing daughter Blake Belladonna. On that note, hadn't Pyrrha mentioned a Blake.

"Oh thank you I think. How are you though, are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine Pyrrha but thank you for asking. Besides you're the one who's training to be a full-time Huntress, I'm staying out of trouble haven't gotten anywhere near trouble. Which reminds me, I hope you are staying safe, I would hate for my beautiful older best friend to get hurt" Pyrrha's voice hitched, had she heard him correctly, had he actually considered her more than just a normal friend, he had called her his best friend. It was a strange experience and she hadn't been friends long with the others, but never had she had a best friend. She felt happy, best friends were friends who talked to each other about everything and shared their thoughts, it was so nice to have an actual best friend, on the other hand, it was a shame that she couldn't see him with him being so far away but maybe when the holidays came up.

"Yes, I'm staying out of trouble but I don't know if" A sound of loud banging and something smashing echoed in the distance this was then followed by a voice screaming Nora and then a not really sorry apology was sounded by some girl. A few moments later a new voice echoed this one from Jaune Pyrrha's recognised as he began to give instructions on how to repair the beds that she had somehow managed to destroy. Feeling a certain duty to her team Pyrrha gave a sigh before returning to her friend. "I'm sorry I have to go Noras made a mess of the room."

"Pyrrha one more thing before you go. This Blake girl, she wouldn't by any chance have the last name of Belladonna, have black hair and is a cat Faunus" Blinking at the last suggestion, Pyrrha had no idea why her friend would ask if Blake was a Faunus, the girl always carried a bow around her head she didn't have any cat ears. Although now that she thought about it, having encountered numerous faunus before, her bow was a little bit in the wrong position and would potentially hide any cat ears that Blake might have if she were a faunus. There were a few other things that Blake did, like salivating over fish and her eyes tracking a red laser when Yang played with one. Perhaps she should ask her.

"Uhm yes, her last name is Belladonna, and she does have black hair. Why do you ask?"

"This is going to sound odd Pyrrha and you need to promise me not to tell Blake. I think I might have found her older brother, I know it might just be a coincidence, but according to him they were separated at a young age and he wants to find her. Don't tell Blake though, she might not be his actual brother and could be someone with a different name so best not create any sort of awkward situation. If you send me a picture, I'll get back to you with any news"

"I trust you, It's not much but please tell me when you find something out?"

"I will Pyrrha. Anyway, I enjoyed our conversation and I look forward to speaking with you again. Goodbye" Giving him a farewell in return, Pyrrha hung up before heading towards her from only before she did so, she went through the images on her scroll and found some of Blake that she had taken from when Team RWBY and JNPR had worked on a project together. Dearly she hoped that her friend did manage to reunite Blake with her long-lost brother, at times she was so broody perhaps having her brother back would change things. With that done, she rushed back to her dorm.

Nat, on the other hand, analysed the pictures that were on his scroll of this mysterious Blake Belladonna. The likelihood that his friend had managed to run into the daughter of the most powerful man was low, but not impossible. He wasn't expecting much to happen with the pictures, however, if he were to show them to Ghira Belladonna and his wife, then he may be able to get what he wanted or at least start to get what he wanted.

Menagerie was the fourth strongest of the five kingdoms even if they technically weren't. They were also the home of the original White Fang; unlike Vale and Mistral where he desired for them to become stronger so as to take the pressure of Atlas, he had a different idea for Menagerie. This large island at the bottom of the world could potentially provide a very good hiding spot in the war, should things go poorly or if people needed to be hidden, then Menagerie was not at the top of the list; Something in the long run that could prove very useful. Another advantage of Menagerie was that it was out of the way and despite the population of Faunus, these Faunus were not likely to rise against humans and join the terrorist White Fang.

Even still if things went poorly, and tensions rose here, if he was able to build an alliance with Ghira Belladonna and prevent or contain the very large Faunus population on the island, then it could help out in the war. Menagerie was not a kingdom prepared for war, they had no industry and certainly no time to prepare for a modern army, them getting involved in a war would likely end in tragedy. But what did happen, was that Faunus would come to Menagerie, some of which had a connection to the White Fang. Should an alliance be proposed, then perhaps subtlety Ghira could keep him updated on any information he might need.

On his own, Nat knew he was very lethal in the information gathering business, but he couldn't be everywhere. He had known a lo0t about the Atlas terrorist while he was in Atlas, but not that he was gone it wasn't a simple case of keeping careful track of their movements and plans. While he could apparate to combat this, cross-continental apparation wasn't the easiest thing to do and he'd rather not waste time and magic apparating all over the world to keep careful track of things and risk damaging his damage control plans in wherever he was. For instance, if he was to teleport to Atlas and check on things, for all he knew the white fang he was looking for could appear and disappear. He needed agents alongside people who could work to control the enemies plans in areas, all of which was why he wanted to get an alliance with Ghira Belladonna.

An alliance with the man would hopefully help combat extremism and the funds that the White Fang gained, as well as keep careful track of any agents. Also without his knowledge, if a small base was to be built in Menagerie in the middle of the desert, he would have a safe place to store important artefacts or people like Autumn.

Despite Ozpins plans, if Vale was to be attacked, Beacon would be the target. With autumn hidden under directly below the CCT, large attention will be focused around that location. It could take time but if Beacon were to fall then that left autumn exposed as it was not just a simple task of moving her to a new place for anyone bar him. Something that maybe his job in the future, perhaps if Beacon were to fall and Ozpin trusted him, that the responsibility of looking after the fall maiden could come down to him as he would be the only one capable of moving her place to place and without detection. It made sense after all, with his magic he could keep a place hidden or if he was on the move keep the facilities that kept her alive still intact and operational. Of course, it was all up for discussion; Ozpin may decide that he would prefer him continuing to do what he was doing by sneaking around the world completing covert operations. Or the man would want him to build alliances.

Looking at his scroll with the pictures of Blake Belladonna, he moved his head in the direction of the large hut in the centre of Menagerie. It was a long shot, however as he analysed the picture of the young girl next to the images of Ghira Belladonna and his wife that he had found online, he could note the similarities. Either way, it was worth a try and should things go poorly, it was but a simple task of wiping their memories.

Still, he had to quicken his pace, every day that he allowed the White Fang and other allies of Salem time to act without him knowing, increased the amount of those killed in the upcoming war. Before he did though, he was going to finish this meal that he had paid for and hopefully without the disturbance of young bikini-clad Faunus interrupting him. Perhaps next time he tried a Faunus magical disguise, he could go for something less furry... maybe antlers or something.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 17**

Menagerie

"So why exactly are you dragging me to a meeting with the leader here" Qrow inquired curiously his eyes locking onto the guards of the building as they approached. They were better trained than others that he had encountered, but they certainly weren't huntsman level. Then again, Menagerie wasn't a place exactly known for violence like the four kingdoms. Menagerie was a peaceful place and the people lived relatively peaceful lives in the hot sun far away from the rest of the world. So why the kid wanted to drag him to a meeting with the leader of the group he wasn't entirely too sure., however, he trusted the kid so far. Despite still having a long way to go before he would be happy with the kid's combat performance, he was relatively happy he had brought the kid along.

Nat lessened the pressure he was under and his use of magic made everything far much easier not to mention the infinite free booze. He wouldn't ever say it, he didn't want the kid to go if only on the outside because it meant that he would have to spend his time flying everywhere around the world in his bird form and paying for booze. The kid apparently could also see the trouble that he couldn't. His actions in Atlas had concerned him at first, speaking to Ironwood about what he needed to do to prepare for a full-scale war but and it was much to his relief, James was far less aggressive now that he had a plan. On the other hand, he wondered occasionally when the kid wasn't looking so he couldn't read his mind if taking the kid along with him was truly a wise idea. Oh don't get him wrong the kid was a very useful person to know and was proving seriously useful in his hunt for information. Ever since meeting the kid they had managed to prevent numerous disasters from occurring purely due to how quickly the kid could navigate the world. But he did wonder if bringing the kid with him was a good thing.

While his apprentice certainly had his strength's, he also had his weaknesses which were most apparent in the realm of social interaction. The kid wasn't rude, in fact, he was far more mature then he had been at that age and certainly far more than either of his nieces but that only rose concern. Other than when needed to, Nat never spoke to anyone in the slightest. He avoided contact with people preferring to spend all his time alone focused on a single task whether it was reading, writing or discovering information on Salem. Sometimes he couldn't help but think that the kid cared far more about the cause than he ever did. The single determination and focus the kid had was impressive at times, but upon reflecting on his own past he couldn't help but think that the kid was severely hindering himself for the future. He was just so-.

"I would recommend focusing on the task at hand Qrow." Nat interrupted the man's thoughts about him dragging the man back into reality. "You needn't concern yourself with my well being Qrow. We have far more important things to be concerned about other than my lack of friend's. Should we fail the world is fucked and I don't think you want to be there when the Grimm tear out our niece's flesh and swallow their hearts feasting on their corpses because you were more concerned on other things." Nat's trick worked, at the mere mention of his words, a brief mental image erupted into Qrows mind of seeing his two nieces dead in front of the Beacon tower their chests having being torn to pieces exposing their internal organs that Grimm was now feasting on. As he looked he saw the bloodied faces of his daughter's staring blankly with cold dead eyes into the sky before a small nevermore flew down and then proceeded to yank Ruby's eye out of her socket in bloody gore before then consuming it whole.

Then it stopped.

"You have one fucked up mind." Glad that he had diverted Qrow's mind from him onto the possible scene of his dead nieces as nothing but food from flesh, Nat carried on. The trick wasn't difficult to do. All he had to do was imagine something and then allow Qrow to see that too. Suffice to say the in-depth detail from the way, Ruby's organs had lathered the floor in her blood or how Yang's arms had been torn off her body and were being chewed by beowolves distracted Qrow away from his thoughts about him.

"Thank you, a strong imagination is one of the traits that any Ravenclaw should possess." Qrow gave the kid a sharp look, nodding his head as he realised that his words had the opposite effect then he had intended. He had hoped that it might inform the kid that perhaps he needed to think happier thoughts, being able to perfectly picture in-depth a scenario with people laying dead all over the place wasn't something normal kids should do. There was certainly something with this kid.

"Right. Well kid what do you want to talk to them about and why are we disguised if we're trying to meet the Belladonnas, they're neutral they won't care if we are human. Neither do most of the people here, Menagerie is a place for good hard working people who don't want trouble" While he did understand the point of a disguise, especially as they were attempting to hunt down members of the White Fang, Qrow wasn't exactly sure why he had to have the particular faunus disguise he had. Instead of one of the more handsome animals, the people fancied like wolf, fox, dog or cat ears, instead, he had fucking wool. Yes like a sheep, he had white woolly hair styled in a type of mane that a farmer would shear off to make clothes out of. In contrast, Nat had elected to give himself a fake set of gills on his neck indicating that he was some form of water faunus.

"Try to keep your voice down Woolly, There may be a privacy charm around us, but that doesn't mean something won't go wrong" Qrow's eyes flared in mock anger at hearing his new nickname. The kid had just given him some stupid nickname based on his faunus appearance and it had to be Woolly. "As for your question, better to look faunus then human. If anyone caught us, then the rumour mill will spread and the people were searching for will go underground. On the other hand, Faunus will attract less attention. How did you not figure that out?"

" I did, I'm making conversation. Especially since you pulled me away from that beach, I was enjoying myself and did you see the bikini's some of them were wearing? They were so short. You really need to join when we go back, I could teach you a few things. First when you finally get a girl, start by kissing her softly on the neck, then go upwards and kiss right behind her ears, once she's comfortable you then squeeze a hand to her chest- "

Snap

Qrow froze as he took in the sight of a scroll in Nat's hands.

"Say one more thing and I send this to Winter" Qrow's reaction said everything. Unlike Ozpin who would merely chuckle at the picture and use it playfully as blackmail in the future or Glynda who would assume he was waiting time again or drunk off his ass or even Ironwood who would likely flame that Qrow had no sense of priorities, Winter would never let him escape with such a thing. Qrow wasn't afraid of Winter, he would smash her easily in a fight, but the very idea of her being sent images of him as a sheep faunus with a hair full of white wool was something he would never live down. He could tease her as much as he wanted, but Winter did not have the playful behaviour of Ozpin or the calm yet annoyed response that James of Glynda would have. No Winter would see him as a bigger charlatan, not that he cared, but there was just something that an embarrassing picture of him being sent to her would do irreparable damage.

"I don't get you kid, at your age I was finding every hot girl there was and spending night after night having fun times. You're just boring, no social life, no fun. All you do is read and write, you need to get out there find a girl seduce her and show her a world full of pleasure then move onto the next one. Of course, I get that you're not exactly the most handsome guy around, but you're not ugly and with your magic stuff, I'm sure you could get a few girls into bed with you. That is unless you prefer men. I won't judge" Qrow questioned Nat not entirely sure as to why a kid would be so against making any sort of social bonds and preferring to be on his own. Qrow then sighed as he saw that Nat hadn't even laughed at the little joke trying to get him to give some kind of reaction.

"Perhaps because unlike other's Qrow, I have my priorities set straight. Every moment that I waste on something as utterly pointless as romance or sex or anything else so trivial in that regard, is a moment that "you know who" can use against us. Millions of lives are at stake, we cannot afford to fail if we do then it's game over. And despite only coming to this place recently, I'm stuck here forever I would prefer it if I was not living in a land of constant darkness with all civilization destroyed. So you can enjoy anyone you want to Qrow, it's really not my business however just remember what we are facing if we lose. Everything you hold dear will be lost what remains of your family. Having already lost your sister to bandits and your best friend to Grimm. Do you really want the same thing to happen to Yang and Ruby because you were too busy wallowing in your own self-pity hoping to find some sort of inkling to wash away the pain of past mistakes? Or would you rather sacrifice trivialities now and have that extra time to face the enemy than run the risk of losing." Qrow stared in disbelief, he had wanted a simple answer as to why the kid was so seemingly terrified of social contact, instead, he had just received some full rebuttal a thing he would have expected of James or Glynda but not the kid. Yet his eyes widened slightly as he recognised the telltale signs.

He'd seen them before, it was rather obvious with certain huntsmen. The maturity that shone through, the calmer tones and powerful sense of responsibility always willing to sacrifice the small luxuries of life for the bigger picture so easily were all common traits of those who had been forced to mature earlier than other kids. It was very common in all the kingdoms, people who lived in the villages outside of the Kingdoms did not enjoy safety and protection that was allotted to them by powerful defences and huntsman nearby at all times. Villages and other areas outside that protection could often find themselves destroyed in a single night either by bandits or Grimm. It was always a rough life for those children who survived. Most of the time, they were the only survivor lost in a world they barely knew with no help and forced to wonder and learn on their own. Most didn't make it, they could die in a myriad of way's either by grim, bandits, disease, starvation, dehydration. Children more often or not died when everything was taken from them in this world.

On the other hand, those who survived were far more mature, they threw away their childish life and innocence merely to survive to do whatever was necessary; whether it be to kill, steal or other types of activity. This often resulted in a lack of social cohesion preferring t be on their own as normally they had raised themselves for as long as they could remember leaving them lacking in trust issues. The way they behaved at huntsmen schools was also distinct. Those who had grown up fast resulting in them in nearly always being the greatest fighter of the group when they first joined but lacking in their educative areas. Qrow could remember when he had Raven had joined, their theory was terrible resulting them at first in having to take other lessons to catch up in other fields, but they exceeded all expectations and everyone else in combat ability easily wiping the floor with any opponent as they fought to kill rather than to maim or wound. Privacy was another key issue in those who matured faster, they preferred to keep as much to their chest as possible and despised it when people inquired into their past.

Memories flashed in his head of a dead Ruby and Yang again. Qrow's thought process stopped. Gazing at the kid who had now turned his head, one other thing became highly apparent. The kid despised beyond all belief people feeling concerned for him.

"Sure kid, whatever you say" And with the threat of seeing the two most precious people in his life lying face down in their own blood, Qrow ended the conversation entirely. Nat also remained quiet not even lost in some type of in-depth focus only concentrating purely on the task that they needed to achieve.

When they approached the front entrance, they came face to face with the protectors of the Belladonna family. They were better dressed than the others here, seemingly wearing iron armour plates going by the shade of metal they were with a curved spear in their hand that Nat would compare more with Far East Asia such as Japan or China than anything European. They also carried a sidearm of an old flintlock looking pistol. Nat resisted the urge to shake his head in a disbelieving manner.

Yes, Earth was different he knew that very much but was it really that difficult to equip the guards with something actually useful. Aura aside, he couldn't really think it would be that hard to purchase whatever the equivalent of an AK-47 was. Seriously he could understand it mildly if they had some far older bolt action rifle's like a Short Magazine Lee Enfield that was used as the primary British weapon in the first and second world war or something like it, but a spear and a flintlock pistol was useless.

Seriously who on Earth had thought it was a good idea to have their soldiers so ill-equipped for an actual conflict. And even if they couldn't buy such weapons from abroad, surely they would have one blacksmith or two who could create some form of modern weapon.

"And Qrow wonders why I'm concerned. Come a world war, you're all fucked, no planes no tanks no modern weapons no artillery. The people of this world have all the more incentive to keep large armies and yet they didn't. So precociously believing that the natural barriers of mountains or rivers would hold them back. " Na thought to himself. He was really concerned with how the state of the upcoming war was going to go, Remnant hadn't prepared anywhere near as much as it needed to, and Ozpin wasn't exactly doing a great job either.

He understood perfectly that Ozpin wanted to keep the peace, but being in favour of the dismantling of armies and the industry it needed was utterly suicidal. Even if there had been no national service/conscription, having an active set of armed forces meant that they knew what to do if anything arose. It also provided jobs in not only a military but all those industries out of it and could actually elevate other kingdoms and increase trade. If armies had persisted after the Great War, then organisations such as the European steel and coal community could have been created to link economies so close together that war would be irreparable. Another advantage was that if Menagerie was anything like Australia, then it was bound to have vast natural resources that it could export abroad. Not to mention, military advancements in technology could often be used in the civilian sectors and it was also the same thing with jobs. Pilot's engineers, scientists, logistics officers, sailor, navigators, so many skills were transferable to other professions. If a young individual was placed in the military for a few years as an engineer for example, then when they left they likely would have advanced skills that could be used in other fields and make them more employable. Such things could also assist universities as certain jobs would need degrees for and so by sending soldiers into those universities, it helped them make money. Then there was the fact that at least from what he had been told, that those from poorer backgrounds may join the army as just an ordinary soldier because so long as they were suitable for military life, it gave them a job and opportunity they may not get.

"Kid mind back on task" Nat sighed as he discovered that once again he had been so caught up in his thoughts that it appeared that he was staring off into space. He knew where he was, he never got lost so much in his thoughts to not notice his surroundings, but according to his sister, he would get this look meaning he wasn't paying attention to anything anyone else said. Shaking his head he returned to the more vital task at hand of trying to save the world.

"Halt state your name and purpose" Declaring herself loudly, one of the guards aimed her weapon at the two people who were on a quest to stop Salem from destroying everything. The young woman's face, most likely in her early twenties Nat assumed was trying to put on a stern and strict face, it wasn't working. Perhaps it was because he had lived on Earth for so long, but even though he was aware of the fact that the guards bunny ears were, in fact, real and not fake, it made it somewhat difficult for him to take the guard serious. It was something out of one of the Japanese anime's only the male harem protagonist would walk up to them say something naive and then proceed to pet the bunny haired girls head getting the woman to fall in love with them pining for attention on a nonstop basis.

"I wish to speak to the Belladonna's, Huntsman business" The girl narrowed her eyes thinking through the words carefully, but Nat still couldn't take her too seriously. The woman actually looked sort of cute in a small pet like manner. With those ears she sported, it was almost like he was facing an actual rabbit rather than a trained warrior who was ready to skewer him should he do something wrong.

"And what exactly is this business" The woman replied strictly moving her weapon into a slightly better position as her eyes traced over their illusion faunus forms. With longer experience in combat, however, Nat instantly noticed the lean the woman had to her left. It wasn't by much, but it was still a weakness he could exploit if necessary. He put aside those thoughts however and went back to coming to a peaceful settlement rather than a fight which would end poorly if it should occur.

"It's a private matter not meant for other's ears. Take us inside and I'll explain" To enunciate his point, Nat made sure his eyes obviously darted in different directions searching for anyone who may be trying to spy on them. The purpose of such an act and was quickly picked up by the guard was to give the idea that he and Qrow might be being followed and if that was the case they could have urgent information that had to be delivered to the rulers of this small Faunus nation. Following his gaze, the guard also began a far more subtle look of the surrounding area for anyone who seemed to be peering into the group.

"Very well but do not move" Slowly lowering her weapon, she allowed the two of them to walk up the stairs and enter the large wooden house shutting the door behind them. Now inside, Nat and Qrow were met by more suspicious looks by guards as they also began to take in their forms inspecting them as to who they might be. Finally one of them came up a stern looking deer/stag faunus Nat wasn't sure how the animals were named only that he had a set of large antlers resting from his head.

"Your weapons" Extending his arm out to retrieve the weapons, Nat obeyed unsheathing the recently conjured pair of axes on his belt alongside a whip into the man's hands. Qrow followed suit only with a spear. With them now "disarmed" the guard started to bark orders at them and one of the other guards in a loud voice.

"Go alert the Belladonnas. You two what is your purpose here?" Scared by the sudden loud tone, the guard that had just escorted them in rushed away to find the people in charge of this continent on the far side of the world. As for Nat, he gave a light summary of what they wished to discuss.

"We've been pursuing a member of the White Fang terrorist group. They killed a few of our friends and ran here, we're trying to find them. We wished to ask for advice on how to find them and especially on not upsetting the chaos" There was silence for a few brief moments as Nat mentally observed the mans thought process. They weren't in friendly territory like the other kingdoms, most likely the Belladonnas would desire some type of proof that they were here to find a criminal and not to cause some kind of chaos and set their small town into destruction and possibly drag them into the White Fang war. Finally, the man spoke.

"You are more respectful than other's who have attempted to do such a deed. Yet we will need proof that you speak the truth". The guard warned sternly harkening back to past experiences and others who have visited the island in the past to do such a deed. "Many have tried especially those from Atlas, but it is not my decision to determine whether to help you. All I will say is that your efforts of cooperation have been appreciated." Bursting into the room, came the guard from earlier who gave what Nat assumed was the head guard a mark of respect by giving a slight tilt of her head before then returning to her guard station not saying a word to either of the visitors. "The Belladonna's have been alerted you may proceed" With those words the two were ushered through the household until finally they were allowed to enter the study of Belladonna household.

It wasn't the most impressive study Nat had entered, then again those that he had were of those that belonged to rather rich or powerful people. Even so, this place did have the feeling of professionalism. Bookshelves lined the entire room and filled with all sorts of tomes that the leader of the house likely used for military, political, economic, social, and historical as well as all other types of information should he need to access it. Why they hadn't invested in a Kindle or something similar as shorthand he didn't know, but then again books did give a room a certain sense that a learned person resided within. Besides the bookshelves, the room was mostly empty with the only other furniture being the large rectangular table in the centre surrounded on three sides consisting of two single chairs on either end and a large sofa chair that extended on the long side on the opposite side that the door was on. That was not just it though, at the back in an alcove was the main desk with a single chair behind it and flanked by ferns on either side and in front of a large painting of the town behind it.

"Please take a seat" The guard spoke ushering towards the sofa. Agreeing to the request, Nat and Qrow took their positions and sitting down comfortably waiting for the leader to approach while the guard observed them silently but studiously. After on a short time, the large double doors opened revealing the owners of the building.

The first was a dark-haired cat woman. Dark of haired and s slightly tanned appearance, the woman had come in with a smile on her face carrying a tray of tea, and biscuits with her. With her dark clothing in such an environment, and the rather smooth elegant facial features and yellow eyes, Nat could see the similarities between the pictures of Blake that Pyrrha had sent him and this woman. With any luck, he might have indeed purely by chance found their beloved daughter of that had run away so long ago.

The woman's husband, however, was a man who drew up all attention the moment he walked into the room. Large in stature, the man was hairy and his purple clothing revealing his hard chest and powerful muscles. With a thick black beard on his chin and those deep penetrating eyes that the man thrust into him, Nat could say that had he been someone else then he may have been a bit scared. However he wasn't, when a person had the ability to warp the very fabric of reality to their will and could destroy buildings and other things with utter ease, it gave a person a sense of security. Even so, he had to ensure he should never get caught by the man as the muscles on him would likely pop his head of his body like a grape.

The woman was also dangerous, while she hit it under her demure frame, he could tell that she had been trained to fight. Maybe not as much as her husband, but if a fight should break out then he had to deal with both of them. But a fight was not something he desired, he had come to negotiate and trade not to kill them.

"Thank you for seeing us, I understand that you are most likely very busy however I wished to perform my job with as little hassle as possible. I don't particularly think running around your Kingdom hunting people down and causing all sorts of ruckus would really be the best way to go around things. Nat gave a small nod of his head showing his respect to the older man and woman as they approached and then sat down on the two end chairs effectively surrounding Nat and Qrow.

"We are grateful that you took such steps and thank you for your consideration. Can I offer you some tea" Kali Nat believed that was the woman spoke as she gestured towards the tray of steaming hot teapot and Japanese style teacups? Nat nodded gently whereas Qrow shook his head not being that fond of the substance.

"Thank you Lady Belladonna" The woman blushed slightly much to her husband's interest.

"I don't believe anyone has ever called me Lady before, it's not something common here" Pouring the cups of tea, Nat accepted the offered beverage subtly checking the substance for any sort of drugs. It was clean not that he wasn't expecting anything to happen. From what he had seen in others memories, the two were not the type to get angry or play the type of politics that he was used to. Either way, it was safer to check.

"Please forgive my rudeness then. Do you prefer Mrs and Mr Belladonna?" Nat took a sip of the offered tea savouring it as he gave a fake slightly happy smile as he switched his eyes to the two individuals as they sat to the sides of them looking inquisitively.

"If you wish to" Kali replied. Nat nodded taking another sip before returning back onto why he and Qrow had come to this magic forsaken continent at the bottom of the planet.

"Then I shall do so Miss Belladonna. By the way, your tea is most spectacular, some of the best I've had" Kali gave a slight smile as that before sitting back in her own chair with her cup of tea looking at her guests trying to figure out the two young faunus out. "Now before I begin, I will warn you that me and my companion are actually under an illusion. The reason is because of the people we're trying to search for. However in the name of trust, I will remove it to ensure you know that we are not trying to lie to you" Straight after saying that he was under an illusion, Giza's eyes narrowed his first-hand clenching slightly but it was soon relaxed by a stern look from his wife.

"Oh, in that case, would you mind taking it down, we would prefer to know who we are talking to. "Kali spoke gently not entirely trusting her husband not to make the situation worse and start shouting. Of course, they both understood the need for secrecy, which was why it surprised her that these two people were so willing to lose their edge just to speak with them. It seemed they really wanted their trust. On her word, Nat silently removed the illusion charms around him and Qrow showing their human forms.

"And why exactly should we trust you" Ghira crossed his arms and straightened his back making him seem even taller than he already was. Nat simply smiled not at all worried at the height of the man instead he got out his scroll and motioned towards the table. And asked in a polite meaner.

"May I project an image" Cautiously Ghira gave his consent to the child who wouldn't even be in a huntsman school. With permission now granted, Nat placed the scroll on the table and activated the feature that would project an image and chose the ones he wished to showcase. Immediately upon activating, a loud gasp echoed from Kali. Looking over to the woman, Nat saw that the woman was staring in shock her hand covering her mouth as she gazed into the image of a young attractive dark-haired girl. It lasted for a brief few moments before her stunted demeanour turned into an upset one as tears began to leak from her eyes. Ghira wasn't much different, while not crying his large meaty hand had gripped the end of her chair so tightly, that with any more pressure he was likely to tear the armrests off entirely. As soon as he looked at his wife, his face softened and he rushed towards her taking her into her arms and holding her close. Nat took this chance to speak.

"I didn't wish to say anything less I get the wrong person. However this according to my friend is a girl called Blake Belladonna she likes to read books wear's a lot of black clothing and is a big rights activist of Faunus. Currently, she attends Beacon's Huntsman Academy in Vale as a member of team RWBY and is the first year. I thought you might want to know where your daughter is after all this time. If you want me to send a copy of the pictures then I would be willing to." Looking up from her husband, Kali took out a handkerchief out of her pocket wiping her eyes of the tears that had fallen previously. Without saying a word and with bright red eyes she nodded happily as she stared at the image of her daughter in the middle of the room.

When finally Ghira let go of his wife out of what appeared to be a chest breaking embrace, the man stood up straight this time with far more happiness on his face his eyes shining brightly at the image of his daughter that had run away so many years ago. Then the man came up to him with a stern expression on his face with a hand out asking to shake Nat's hand for the favour that had been done to him only as soon as he grabbed it, the man's eyes turned suspicious and his grip tightened.

"How exactly did you know this was our daughter and what are your intentions for you to get such close pictures" Nat understood perfectly. He got the overprotective dad thing to guys who wanted to date his daughter to make sure that they wouldn't back down to fear and were actually brave and all that bullshit. He'd do the exact same thing in the man's shoes, in fact, he'd do a lot more with his magic to anyone who had wanted to date anyone close to him. And it also was rather suspicious that some random kid with a huntsman enters his house and just so happens to have information on his daughter when they hadn't been able to find any for so long. But this was why he was here, if Qrow had done it he was sure that a lot more shouting may have occurred or worse maybe been a fight if Qrow just got into one of those moods when he decided that talking wasn't getting anywhere.

"Truthfully, I spoke to my friend who is attending Beacon right now called Oliver Oak. He said that there was a dark haired girl he had seen called Blake Belladonna. I just happened to remember that your last name was Belladonna and after asking a few people around discreetly, they stated that you used to have a daughter that ran away. So after that, I talked to Oliver and asked him to send me a few pictures to give to you when I met you just in case it was her. Honestly, there's no ill way about it, I just happened to come into the information and thought that you might want it. I figured that if it was her, then you finally would know what happened to her and if not then I would have expressed my deepest sympathies for bringing up such painful memories."

It was so silent that one could have heard a pin drop as Ghira contemplated his story. Observing his mind quietly, Nat watched as the man went through each individual part of his story seeing if it checked out. The more the man went through it, the more the man seemed to be content with the story and the more the man was filled with happiness as he came more and more to the realisation that he knew where his daughter was. Eventually after harsh staring to try and break the will of the young kid in front of him, Ghira nodded and fell back into his seat a rough smile on his face.

"You have no intention for my daughter" Nat raised a visible eyebrow at that and gave a fake laugh at the man.

"Of course not, I've never even met the girl; I was only sent the photo because my friend had heard her name. You have nothing to worry about from me." Ghira stared a little more at the boy attempting to read his calm emotionless face. The man searched for anything that he could use as an interest in his daughter and while he knew he had only just discovered the location of his daughter, that did not mean that he would not protect her from those who may mean to exploit her.

"Very well, what do you want here" Ghira lent back in his chair, he doubted that the boy had just come all this way to tell him the location of his daughter without something in return. And considering the story that he had entered the house with, he was of the strong opinion that the revealing of his daughter was only a secondary task to something else.

"I'll keep things short." Nat began taking another sip of the tea. "We need to know the names of all members of the New White Fang and those who associate with them. Our objective is one way or another is to prevent them from smuggling money to the terrorist White Fang for weapons and other items alongside decrease any influence they might have here in Menagerie. Ghira Nat had seen would not in the slightest appreciate the more subtle talks of politics in fact if he believed that Nat was trying to use complex wording or anything else, the man was bound to lose his opinion of the two humans sitting nearby.

"Before we get to the smuggling of money for weapons, why don't you inform me as to why you are so concerned about Menagerie. A great deal of humans don't care for Faunus" The rest was left implied. Of course, Nat understood the rest of the message if he was asking for assistance from the Faunus after all humanity had done to them even if he was not a member of some kingdom's bureaucracy. After harsh treatment and wars and a large amount of discrimination, asking for the help of the Faunus was not going to be something easy to do.

"While I do perfectly understand your people's desires to stay out of the other four Kingdom's conflict, I'm afraid that politics won't allow it. The White Fang recruits mainly from the other kingdoms as that is because where discrimination is highest leading to a large distaste towards those who commit such an act. However Menagerie is not immune to this, the White Fang already recruits people from your kingdom. I've fought them. What I'm concerned about, is the possibility of a coup." Ghira's eyes widened his hands gripping tightly into the corners of his chair. The man's heart beat a little harder as he heard those words and the possibility, then he calmed down.

"I can assure you that my people would never commit such an act" Ghira's voice rose in defiance of the very notion that such a thing would take place. Nat, on the other hand, wasn't so convinced.

"You're people won't, but can you say the same of others." Nat turned his eyes onto the wife subconsciously dragging the older man's attention onto her as well. "Even if you are no longer part of the White Fang, you are still a symbol to Faunus all over the world and to others such as myself who are for equality. And that is exactly why you and your wife are a target" Nat spoke sternly punctuating his words slightly more to emphasise exactly how he saws the loving couple.

"I would deal with anyone who would try?" Ghira almost roared in a protective manner as he saw the scared and worried expression on her face. Not for her own safety Nat knew, but rather for the unmentioned threat that if they were targets, then so was Blake they're recently discovered daughter.

"What if you two were murdered, either by the White Fang to make it seem that a racist human group had done so or if such a group had done it without provocation. If you were to be murdered, there would be an utter outrage. Your people will no longer care about trying to have good relations with human's, all they would think about is getting revenge on the individuals who had done you harm and wished to see the rest of your people dead. After all, as far as they would see the only people who had tried to make peace with humans even after all that had happened had been murdered. It would send the message that there was no peaceful solution to this problem, only that violence is the way to resolve the issues that we currently have. When that happens the White Fang will essentially be given the entirety of Menagerie to control and any still loyal to your beliefs will very likely be executed or worse." The threat was left implied, however going by the history of the world, and what Ghira remembered of some of the more radical members of the White Fang before they split, he knew it would very likely involve some kind of slavery for humans and likely those who sympathised with them.

"If that were to happen, I trust that my people will follow my example" The man was stern, but there were cracks in his armour, a quick flash of worry appearing on the man's face before then disappearing just as quickly. It was obvious that as much as the man wanted to trust in the people he protected, that he was not immune to such concerns and certainly not arrogant enough to ignore them.

"There's a war coming" Nat interjected suddenly speaking with a tone of finality one that no one dared question. Ghira and Kali were astounded, their faces not really believing the boy had just said such words. They wanted to joke slightly about such a statement, but there was no joking from the boy, only cold reality smashing down onto them like a runaway train. With a solemn deep breath, Ghira looked into the cold dead eyes of the boy. Qrow, in contrast, zipped his head over to the kid, quietly and as subtly as he could he made motions for the kid to be quiet about Ozpin and all that stuff. That type of information was not be just given out to random people without trust even if the boy could read minds. Ghira's stern gaze turned onto him a menacing scowl on his powerful face as he realised that the boy's companion did not wish to discuss such a topic.

"And you expect me to believe such a thing"

"The signs are there, one a massive build in arms and material. I'm sure that even you've heard of the infamous criminal that's been stealing record amounts of dust as well as the increased numbers of attacks on dust trains and caravans alongside the boarding of ships carrying dust or weapons. That kind of build up is not normal and it certainly isn't going to the black market. The White Fang is requiring such a large number of stolen arms and equipment because currently, it lacks the infrastructure to create it" Looking over to Kali, Nat politely asked if he could pour himself another cup of tea as he had already finished his before finally looking back at Ghira.

"I do not support them, but acquiring such weapons does not mean they intend a war, If you are a huntsman then you know that they prey on the weak and the defenceless. They would never be able to get the power to assault a city yet alone a Kingdom. They're nowhere near large enough". Ghira countermanded.

"They operate bullheads, operating an air force even if only a mediocre one requires substantial amounts of manpower and training. You need the pilot's the engineers the air traffic controllers, the guards to protect such vehicles not to mention logistic officers and a whole other bunch of individuals. The Bullheads alone are evidence that they have become an incredibly sophisticated bunch who will only become more powerful as time goes on. This is evidence more by the fact of the recent growth of support the White Fang has among young Faunus." Kali looked worried, they hadn't really held much contact with those who had split all those years ago but f the kid was right, then there could be a very precedent that a lot more damage was going to be done.

"That does not mean that they want an open war, even if we had our disagreements in methods, the leader of the White Fang truly wants equality even if she goes through such methods. She would not go to war against the kingdoms, she would know that she wouldn't stand a chance especially if Atlas was to turn against her" Ghira grumbled, his voice rising as he started to worry more and more for his people. Was there truly a war coming, of so when would it start and who was going to be involved.

"I assume you haven't heard. Atlas was attacked several days's ago, over a hundred are dead including children. Their target was Atlas academy and they succeeded. Days before that, Vacuo was assaulted resulting in far more deaths by Grimm." Kali gripped her mouth as she heard the news, such a thing shouldn't have happened in Atlas. The attack on Vacuo was still a bad thing, but most people knew that attacks on people within Vacuo was common however for an assault on Atlas Academy by the White Fang, that was news. Ghira, on the other hand, gave out a sigh shaking his head having already worked out what would come next.

"Atlas is not going to be happy, they will track down every single member of the White Fang and execute them. It's going to start a war." Closing his eyes slowly, Ghira went through the protocols for something like this. There was an awful lot that had to be done, security needed to be stepped up and the population of Menagerie handled in case anger rose for those Faunus who were oppressed in other areas of the world. His face gripped with stony determination, Ghira turned to his wife. "We will have to alert the people and put the guards on watch. Atlas is bound to send people here soon to look for anyone who was involved." Ghira then stopped wide-eyed as he turned to the two individuals sitting in front of him. "I assume you two are here because Atlas sent you. That explains how you knew the location of our daughter, what is it you want." Qrow rolled his eyes.

"We're not with Atlas you don't have to worry about that. But the kid's right, Atlas is not going to be anywhere near as respectful as we are if they think you're harbouring White Fang sympathisers. If there's even a hint that something may be going on here, Old Ironwood will arrive here with his entire army at his back and demand that he be allowed to use whatever means to "keep the peace". Me and the kid aren't planning on staying long, we just want to find those who are responsible for the death of some friends. If you can point us to those who have connection's, we can deal with things quietly and keep Ironwood of your back." Ghira leaned in closely inspecting the red-eyed man as he spoke. It would appear that going by the two's appearances, that they had no connection to Atlas. For one neither of them spoke like those frozen north men, second, they didn't dress like them instead preferring darker colours and a far less formal impression than those rich snobs had. Finally, they weren't demanding instead taking their time to explain the situation to him and politely ask for permission rather than just doing whatever they desired.

"You know General Ironwood personally?" Ghira asked.

"No, however, I do have a cousin who moved away years ago to Atlas and managed to rise through the ranks. She has regular meetings with the man on things like strategy and intelligence. We've given info to the man before through her and she trusts our word. If we find any info on White Fang activity, then we can report it to her and then she can give it to the General. In which case we get to go on our business and you don't face the possibility of invasion." Nat stated calmly taking another sip peering carefully over the rim of his glass at the two. Having seen James's mind, he knew that the man would not want to actually invade and conquer this land that the Faunus had made their own, however, if he deemed it necessary then he would occupy it for the remainder of a war and likely longer. He'd use the term invasion to put a bit of fear into the two Belladonnas.

Despite the strength of the man and his wife and the few guardsmen, Menagerie was pacifist. There weren't basic combat schools or anything like that and most of the people hadn't even picked up a weapon their entire lives. They also had the problem that all their food and cities were close to the coast making them easy targets for Atlasalongsideany resupplies that would be needed. If that happened, they would be forced to the barren desserts if they did wish to fight. Nat knew that guerrilla warfare was effective, it often beat superpowers like the US and Russia and other countries purely because those superpowers were designed to fight each other. Tank's, jets, helicopters, artillery all proved useful in a conventional war when a set amount of territory had to be taken but against asymmetrical warfare, it was an utter bitch to fight. However it wasn't easy to fight as guerrilla's and with Australia type geography, Atlas would have little need to move further in so long as it could control the coast and keep the guerrillas out of that. With mostly dessert as an area left, the guerrillas were bound to starve and be forced to take more and more daring moves simply to survive. When they attacked they would be at Atlas's mercy. Finally, whilst they were out there in the desert, they would have to contend with large numbers of grim that would prove a hassle.

In other words, the Belladonna's knew they could not stand against an Atlas invasion of their home. And the fear and care they showed on their faces as Nat read their minds indicated that they certainly held no desire whatsoever to bring harm to those they cared about and had worked so desperately to build a home for only to be destroyed because of the White Fang.

"How can I trust you. Your desire only to hunt down members of the White Fang, that you are not a member of Atlas that you have no desire to bring harm to my people. What evidence do you have to prove your words" Ghira asked tersely.

"You can't trust me," Nat replied gently. "I am a stranger who had just walked into your home and told you such things. In your shoes, I would refuse such an offer as well, especially as all I can do is offer you words. All that I would ask you to do is consider my offer, we only want to find those who are members of the White Fang and deal with them before they become a larger problem later down the line. The last thing anyone wants in the other four kingdoms is for Menagerie to join up with the White Fang because of social issues. If you wish us to leave that is perfectly acceptable, we will take out efforts elsewhere if not then we will find those responsible and help keep not only the safety but also your neutrality in the war to the best of our ability." With those final words said, Nat remained quiet allowing the man to think to himself. His last few sentences he had added in a bit more of a caring compassionate sort of tone to them. He made it seem like he was actually genuine, that by using his young age and almost innocent sounding tone, that he desired not to bring death and destruction to their island. It was all a ploy, he was going to find those responsible whether they agreed to or not. He had already found the names of the individuals he was looking for as well as their address, he had only allowed the meeting to last this long so he could try and convince the man ever so slowly that perhaps becoming allies with him was a good idea. It was also why he had wanted Qrow to be as quiet as he could in the meeting.

Qrow was many things, but he wasn't a diplomat and neither was Nat if he was honest. In contrast to the experienced Huntsman, however, Nat was a politician and had some experience in that type of affair. Plus the secret compulsion charms he had tagged the two with couldn't hurt much. Not to mention by giving information on their beloved long-lost daughter to them, he made them feel guilty if they didn't help. He wasn't asking for much in the context of things, only that he be allowed to track down those members of a known terrorist organisation who they didn't care for anyway. In return, they got their daughter back well kind off, most likely they would send some type of letter or email over if not visit in person. It was all about manipulating a persons emotions, with Blake, the fear for their people in an invasion a possible Menagerie uprising for the White Fang that would inevitably lead to harsh punishment for Faunus as a whole, Nat was rather sure he was playing on very big worries the two had.

"And that is all you want, to find those responsible for the attack?" Nat nodded.

"Also if it was fine with you, I'd like to relay information to my contact with Atlas. Should General Ironwood know that you are doing your best to help him even if you do stay neutral, it means that the chance of an invasion get slimmer. I would also recommend finding a subtle way to talk to the man himself, to share information. Most likely Atlas already has spies here, but with things heating up in the world, those spies could likely be put into better and more useful positions. Should you find a way to co-operate with the man by sharing info on possible White Fang members, then he will likely move a few of those spies as well. Now I perfectly understand your dislike of the idea of working with the man, but if there is a war, then as the kingdom of Faunus, no matter how much you don't want to be, you will be dragged into this war by one side or the other. And in that case, I would think about that if you were forced to join a side, which one would it be and start making those preparations. But let me make myself clear, neither me nor my teacher has any connection to Atlas whatsoever besides my cousin who is in the Atlesian military. I don't want you to join the upcoming war, somewhere needs to be safe to remind the world that faunus and humans can live in peace. However don't expect to stay neutral, war has an annoying tendency of becoming a black hole sucking everything into it." Ghira narrowed his eyes once again, somehow the kid seemed to know about questions he was going to ask before he did. He was going to suggest perhaps that the kid could read his mind, but that wasn't possible seeing as the kid's semblance was illusions and the older man didn't strike him as the type to have such a power.

"You sound genuine, however, others have lied to me before. Your insistence on forming an alliance with Atlas, on the other hand, is concerning. Tell me why I should ally with them rather than with Vale or Mistral." Asking intently, Ghira wanted to know why exactly this child was so intent on him allying the nation with the worst track record of faunus rights compared to the others. Not to mention, in the Great War Atlas or as it was called back then Mantle had been incredibly brutal and that hadn't changed much even in the modern day with Atlesians caring very little for the plight of Faunus.

"We are talking about full-scale war. This isn't some local conflict, between the faunus and humans that while substantially does need sorting out, does not compare to what will happen. Yes, faunus are still treated poorly, however, would you prefer the world as it currently is, where despite the tensions and discrimination between our two people, does mean that Faunus and humans are not slaves. The White Fang would tear all of that down, they routinely execute people who leave their group after seeing what it has become. And have you heard the message they spread now, it's no longer about equality, it's about submission? The modern White Fang wishes to commit either complete genocide or enslave the human race for whatever purposes they desire. Menagerie is a Faunus kingdom, the first in the world and that is why it must as best as it can neutral in the conflict. Should your people rise against humanity to join the White Fang, then for the next few decades at the minimum if not centuries, then it will prove that humans and Faunus cannot live together because of mutual hatred. And that is why again I ask you for permission to hunt down the ones who are here in your kingdom, should I not be able to find them, then over time like a weed in the middle of a road, they will start to convert people to their ideology and gain more members for a brutal bloody war that is likely to see the deaths of tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands. If not for me a complete stranger, then let me stop this before it harms your people".

With a calm look, Nat leaned back against the chair he was sitting on and observed quietly as the man and wife exchanged looks seemingly having a silent conversation. Kali was petrified, the woman was attempting to remain strong, but it was obvious that his words had gotten to the cat Faunus and the way her eyes darted to the image of her village indicated that she had no desire to see the events that he had described. A quick look into her mind showed that while she did care intently for her people and wished to save her from harm, she was thinking about their daughter. She was worried for Blake, that her daughter may have gone so far one way that she may have lost her initial past after running away with that boy all those years ago. Had Blake fallen? Had that man Taurus driven her down such a cruel path all in the name of trying to become equal. How much evil had Blake done believing she was doing good, they had let her go all those times so Blake could walk her own path, but even still she was worried that Blake had gone down a very bad road. And her people, after so much they had built in the name of peace, were they going to allow people to just come in and tear it down. Neither of them had any desire whatsoever to live in a world of slavery and discrimination because of one's race, that was why they had started the White Fang in the first place, to oppose such a view.

Then there were the consequences after the war. Should they stay neutral, then the tension between humans and Faunus would only grow as the other kingdoms would see the apathy shown by Menagerie as not caring about the outside world or others only being selfish. Nothing would be solved, rather quite the opposite. Should the humans win, then faunus will be treated suspiciously as while not exactly traitors, they would be considered untrustworthy and unreliable. On the other hand, should the White Fang win, then Menagerie would be forced through brutal means to accept slavery and have to kill anyone who disagrees with them? Traitors would be killed, in fact, according to some, the White Fang was already starting to see Menagerie as the home of traitors as they refused to join their cause. Not to mention, in such a war should Menagerie joining them, than faunus despising humans in Atlas would very likely find the support to call for a mass culling of all Faunus as revenge. Whatever happened, Ghira realised, people were going to die and as hard as he could try to keep Menagerie out of the war, it was going to end badly if he did so.

Nat took advantage. So lost was the man and woman in their thought's that they left themselves exposed just enough for him to cast some more complex spells on the pair of them. It wasn't anything painful, but other than the compulsion charm, he used some rather useful thought and dream manipulation magic. He'd been trained against them by his father to minimise the risk of anything affecting his heir's judgement, but against an unprotected foe, they were quite brilliant.

Ever so subtly, this other spell would manipulate the thoughts and dreams of those it was cast on to whatever the caster desired. It wasn't like a compulsion charm of the Imperio curse which physically acted to get someone to do something like physical such as pick up a book. Rather it was a more of a subtle thing used in a manner to get those who weren't protected to think on certain actions. In this case, the spell would get the two of them thinking more and more about the upcoming war and the White Fang. With time they should hopefully start to panic more and more until eventually a decision is made of their own volition to side with Ozpin in the upcoming war. As for the compulsion charm, that was to ensure that the man lets him get on with his business.

"I have come to a decision" Ghira started. "Due to your politeness and situation alongside the gift you gave us, I shall allow you to pursue those who would tarnish the name of the faunus. Let me write down a list of names and when they live." Qrow gave Nat a slightly amused yet scared look. The kid was terrifying at times, the way he manipulated people to do as he desired made him truly dangerous. "However I ask that you are as silent and stealthy as possible. I would rather not have to deal with my people angry. And also remember, you are allowed to do this because on my authority. Should I discover that you have been abusing that authority, then it shall be stripped away from you and you will be forced to answer to any crimes you commit?" Speaking strongly hoping to intimidate the boy, Ghira growled slightly when he saw that nothing he did intimidate the child. Nat quickly finished his third cup of tea much to the surprise of Kali who herself hadn't even got down to half of her first.

"I shall keep that in mind. And let me thank you for your co-operation also for the tea, it was wonderful" Getting out of their seat's Nat turned around so he could get out. Because of the way the chairs had been stationed, it gave him the perfect opportunity to do what needed to be done. With his wand drawn, he quickly cast the obliviating spell wiping both of their minds of his and Qrow's visit but keeping the spell that would ensure their thoughts on an upcoming war. Having seen the man's memories and thoughts he knew that while Ghira had allowed them to do whatever they wished, he was planning on having some of his guards follow them to make sure they behaved properly. Once they had their memories of him and Qrow gone other than the few little bits of information such as the location of Blake that had been passed onto them by a good Samaritan, Nat quickly entered the hallway and began the long process of getting rid of all evidence of their visit.

Half an hour later

"You nearly blew our cover Qrow" Nat stated as he stared down the older man as he drank from yet another one of his alcoholic drinks. Qrow simply rolled his eyes as he looked at the kid in disbelieving look.

"I risked our cover, you were the one who nearly told them about the war with Salem. Not to mention I don't even get why you go through all the trouble of explaining possible danger and then just wiping their memories" Had he not grown used to the safety of magic protecting whatever he said from onlooker's, Qrow would never have stated such a thing in such a crowded area. Even if he wasn't some amazing spy kid like well the kid who had all these powers to make the job of spying far easier, Qrow knew not to reveal certain facts.

"I never once risked the mention of Salem, and as for me informing the man about the upcoming war with the White Fang, it's called earning trust. I needed for them to hear at least once just what position Menagerie was, so they would have it in their minds. The belladonnas aren't stupid, they've ruled this place pretty well for the last few years and managed to build this place up. But we're dealing with war Qrow. Lies' deceit, backstabbing are all part of that nature and have to be utilised if we desire to win." Qrow still wasn't impressed.

"It doesn't explain why you just didn't go in by yourself and get the information that you wanted and then wipe their memory. Why go through so much work to essentially just get rid of it all. You said yourself that you're concerned with what's happening with Vale and it needs to be dealt with yet you spend so much time playing annoying little games with people. Despite you stating that you want to make contacts kid, you haven't seemed to make one" Nat stayed still listening to Qrow as he shook his head annoyed at the seemingly strange and bizarre work the kid tried to use to help Ozpin and the rest of them from beating Salem.

"Be assured Qrow, the Belladonnas won't prove a problem much more in fact with any luck, they will join us when the war kicks off." Wanting more answers, the man went to speak only for those famed images of his nieces to appear again torturing him constantly. With a deep breath, he went off the topic although glaring at the harsh punishment the kid was now using to prevent him from questioning him. "Some things are better not known Qrow. All you need to know is that I want Salem destroyed just as much as you do. I may not be native to this world, but I'm one of the idiots stuck on it. Besides, I don't think you want to have your mind constantly thinking about what I can and can't do with magic." Nat said no more leaving the man to his drink. Gently Qrow picked it up but his face indicated fear.

The more he got to know the kid, the more worried he became. When he had first met the kid and was informed of another planet, he had found it strange and a bit odd but accepted it even if he couldn't really imagine it. At first, he had believed that the kid's dark serious nature was because what had happened to him and that he would recover with time. That wasn't the case. For a strange reason, the kid had seemingly taken the responsibility of fighting Salem himself, and he was prepared to use whatever was at his means to do so. Qrow liked the kid, but as he kept exploring the world with him hunting down information on Salem, the more and more it became apparent to Qrow that the kid should he choose to, could become one of the worst enemies he had faced.

He still remembered when had seen the power of one of the maidens for the first times, it was impressive and the other things that Ozpin could accomplish even with his waning power. But all that was physical, obvious. Maidens threw their power all over the place in storms, fireballs, and weather. It was powerful and highly dangerous, but he could beat them thanks to the long amount of experience. Nat, on the other hand, was different.

Nat did not go around brandishing his powers at everyone revealing himself to be powerful, no he worked silently and secretly striking from the shadows. Whereas a maiden would just bust through a person's defences with their powers, Nat instead talked and conversed in a polite manner raising points and always having a counter. And when the kid was seemingly bored of a conversation, he did something worse than a fight, he simply imagined a scene and allowed another to view it. Torture was one way Qrow would describe it, the vision was so real the first time that he had actually believed it had happened and his two nieces were dead and nothing but food for Grimm. And then it stopped, showing the man the real world and leaving him in pain.

As of currently, the kid was an ally and a brilliant one and without his help, Qrow would have struggled to get as far as he did so quickly, yet he couldn't help but think about other scenarios. What if the kid was to turn against them, should Salem find a way to be able to send him back to his home, would Nat stay or would he use his power against them? Whatever Nat had done to the Belladonna's, Qrow both did and did not want to know. He did because he was curious as to what type of magic the kid had used, yet petrified as the more was revealed, the more likely Qrow would panic as he began to realise just what the kid could do.

Nat was as much as a threat as he was an ally, and as they continued to go forth, Qrow knew that perhaps he had to spend more careful attention to the kid and ensure that he was really a person that Ozpin and the others could trust. Unfortunately, in his more drunk state that he was in now, he had thought that thing directly before the one he was worried about.

Frowning internally, Nat gave a small sigh as he saw the upcoming future. Qrow was becoming more and more cautious of him, his fear was growing and while the man did see his use to the other's, it was becoming more apparent that with his blatant use of his powers on others, that Qrow couldn't really trust him. He didn't blame the man, of course, he'd thin the exact same thing but still, it was the warning bells that their partnership would be coming to an end. Qrows ideas of having more control placed onto him he didn't like, and the more he thought about Ozpin the more he didn't like. It would seem that while not now, that he would have to leave this group he had joined for his own safety. That did not mean though, he wouldn't assist them against Salem, that woman needed to be stopped. However he would likely be on his own in the future, all he had to do was ensure he got as much combat training out of the man as possible. Memory wipes and constant spells wouldn't last forever, if Qrow had already come to the conclusion, he would do so again and at one point, Qrow would confront him.

The next day, Qrow would only remember that the meeting had gone well and that the vision he had experienced of his nieces had never occurred leaving him perfectly normal.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 18**

Menagerie 

"Run" Those screams were all the newest member of the White Fang heard. Explosions and the sound of combat drowned out all other things forcing the need for yelling simply to communicate. He did follow the orders, he dropped his gun and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him towards one of the emergency exits. Their heart pounded in their chest as fear began to take hold, it only became worse as the sound of combat began to die down.

It shouldn't be possible, there were only two of them, a man and a boy against them yet they were losing. All who faced them quick perished either by that large blade the one with the cape carried or the multiple beams of light decimating both organic and non-organic matter alike. He had to get out of here, he wouldn't survive against those two especially when their experienced fighter was defeated like he was nothing. He knew the others wouldn't survive, all their communications had been cut off but if he could escape, then perhaps he could alert the others to the scenery.

Then it went quiet. He gulped, there was no more gunfire, no more sounds of a large sword striking and cleaving a grown man in two and there also wasn't the sound of those strange lights. His back shivered, they were all dead and so quickly too. Just who were they, some type of hunter that had been sent to deal with them by Atlas. Had the White Fang finally angered the Northern nation so much that they would send their best killers after them? It was unthinkable and also slightly pleasing. If Atlas was sending out people, it meant that they had finally caught Atlas's attention. On the other hand, it also meant that he was now stuck alone in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the desert with two killers.

He gazed towards the door, lit by a damaged red sign. Could he make it outside without drawing attention, the others had been further back so he should have enough. On the other hand, were the vehicles damaged already, he had no food and no water and if the attackers had disabled the vehicle then they would know where he was.

He rushed towards the door. There was nothing else for it, those who had attacked them would easily kill him once they knew his position. Not caring for stealth, he bashed open the door running into the harsh Menagerie light as the desert sands slowly cascaded on a dune ahead. Then he saw it, one of the trucks that the White Fang had to transport goods in and out the city.

Dashing towards it, jumped in the driver's seat turned on the ignition and drove off as quickly as possible climbing the sand dunes that had protected the warehouse. Reaching a fast speed, he soon managed to launch himself off the sand dune as his fear had made him misread how fast he was going. With him now launched high into the air, he grabbed the steering wheel his knuckles turning white as he seemingly wanted to strangle it.

Boom

A huge internal explosion exploded outwards in a large cacophony of flames and flying debris raining down on the sand dunes the drivers corpse nowhere to be seen having been incinerated in the explosion. After the all mighty blast from the car creating a shockwave that shattered the few windows the warehouse had, the vehicles plummeted back to Remnant again in tiny little-burnt metal chunks.

"Well that's sorted" lowering his right arm down to his side, Nat turned away from the wreckage of what had been the lone survivor. It had been quite easy dealing with the man. A simple timed blasting curse had been all that was required to turn the car into a destroyed wreck. Not that he particularly cared, he was here to try and prevent more deaths in the future. This warehouse had been the home of a number of the White Fangs newest recruits and held other vital supplies for any operations in all of Menagerie. By destroying it and then framing it on the grim, as evidence as he started to cast spells repairing the destroyed truck, a White Fang base could be dealt with all with the lower risk of it being pinned on people figuring out that the White Fang was being actively hunted.

It was going to take him a few hours to set up the scene, but after that, he could get on his way and return back to somewhere that had civilization. All that was required of him, was to close the wounds and remove any trace of the battle that had just occurred and instead replace it with one reminiscent of a Grimm attack. Now perfectly in one piece, Nat casually floated the van back towards where it had been parked while also removing any tracks it had left on the sand dunes. Once finished he gave a swish of his wand repairing the blown out windows before heading back inside and essentially reversed time a bit.

Bullet holes were filled in and had their paint return to them, weapons, and bodies were moved into different parts of the warehouse whilst some corpses had their bones broke or had large gouges slashed out of their skin representing an attack from a Grimm or two. All items were left as they were although any important documents were replicated and also had pictures taken of them. Finally, after a large number of tasks had been completed, Nat was able to join up with Qrow who at this point had taken to leaning back on one of the chairs his feet on the table as he drunk heavily from that flask he carried everywhere.

"You got everything kid," Nat said nothing instead summoning a cup of tea for himself and promptly joined Qrow taking a break, not at all bothered by the corpses that littered the floor. Was it strange he wondered? His entire life he had heard how it was bad to kill another person and how it constantly affected a person through their life. Yet he couldn't bring himself to care, the corpses that he had made the lives he took meant nothing to him and didn't affect him in the slightest. They were alive he took their lives and now they were dead. It was nothing personal, just business nothing at all like how other people described. There were no nightmares or bad thoughts or even a desire to kill others, he slept fine every night and had no problems taking another life.

If anything, he found it to be the opposite of what others said. Where some were scarred for life, he found the situations he was in more and more fun. Not the killing part, he didn't enjoy killing but he didn't dislike it either. Instead the feelings he once held of loving combat, the feeling of adrenaline pumping through the body the way that a mind and body acted instinctively was growing. Perhaps it was the feeling of being so near death as both sides fought to kill one another rather than wound was what was fuelling his love of combat to newer heights. But it was getting boring, back home he could have a good fight against many skilled duellists whereas here there were very few people who even knew about magic and far fewer who could use it. So he was forced to fight muggle after muggle in easily won fight after easily won fight.

Not that he was going to change his tactics. If he tried to go with more offensive moves in an effort to do even more damage, then it would show a lack of wisdom on his part. If he was feeling bored by the current threats, then it meant that he couldn't afford to get cocky lest he face harsh consequences. He'd seen such things happening back home in the duelling world.

It wasn't uncommon for older more powerful and experience duellists to start to lose the more ruthless side to their duelling and instead give their opponents more opportunities to have some more fun. On more than occasion, the more experienced and better duellist was beaten because their boredom had carried them away too much resulting in devastating losses. What he was feeling now, was to actually experience the adrenaline like he used to when he was in a magical duel. At times he entertained the idea of charging with his sabre and actually using the weapon he was being trained with. He resisted off course, but it meant he needed to find some way of working off the steam he was feeling in his boredom with Qrow more. He'd ask for more lessons later, but for now, he would enjoy his cup of tea as the two of them discussed where they should head next.

"So Vale, is it safe for us to go or do we need to tackle smaller problems?" Asking casually, Nat took another sip of his tea as he thought more about their current plans and trajectory that they were on. "If we keep going from place to place taking out targets, then Salem is going to notice. As you're the only one who hasn't been seen in a while, they will know that you have been the one directly responsible for the destruction of your plans. We both know what happens in return."

Qrow dipped his head giving a loud sigh before picking up his flask and took a drink from it. The kid was right, he had initially been tasked with finding out who was responsible for the attack on Autumn but ever since he had met the kid things had changed. They had been sidetracked with small things, attacks on dust trains attacks on both Vacuo and Atlas. Now they were in Menagerie hunting the White Fang as they were believed to be connected to Salem rather than actually trying to hunt down Autumn's attacker.

"We going to stop this kid," Qrow said suddenly his red eyes piercing the dull purple of the wizards. "My job was to hunt down Autumn's attacker and that's what I need to focus on. For that reason, I'm heading back to Vale. Alone" Nat showed no reaction as he heard those words. Internally however he sighed. It was at an end then, that didn't last long.

"I understand Qrow, I wish you luck in the future. Thank you for everything that you've taught me, I can manage from here out" Standing up, Nat vanished the cup of tea he had been drinking from and walked away in the opposite direction leaving Qrow on his own. He made no attempt to wipe the mans memories, at this point Qrow was used to what he was doing and likely would suspect something so it was for the best if he waited until Qrow had fallen asleep and was more vulnerable.

"Kid" Qrow interrupted a pang of guilt going through his chest. "How do I put this, you're not a bad kid but you don't really sit with us. How about you speak to Ozpin, I'll pass on your details and he can carry on with your education. It's just that for the moment you're-" Qrow spoke swiftly hoping to defend his position not that he really needed to, Nat had already seen what the man was thinking and was why he had taken this approach to leave.

"A distraction Qrow. That's what I am, I took you away from your true mission and had you gallivanting off around the world to purse random ends. If we carried on, it's likely you would have been so distracted from your mission that it would have cost lives in the long run. Don't worry about it Qrow, it was fun whilst it lasted but as they say, all good things must come to an end. Well, this is it, bye." He finished the mans sentence knowing exactly what Qrow was going to say before he had said it.

Crack

"Yeah see you around kid" Briefly stared at the spot his now ex-apprentice had stood before vanishing to who knows where. He had liked the kid, but the fact of the matter was that he had been a distraction, and Qrow he couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional. The power in the kid's hand made him extremely dangerous, Qrow had seen firsthand just what he was capable of doing with magic both in combat and out of it. He was also quickly able to appear and disappear on any continent he so desired, with the power to look into a person's mind and wipe them and hide, he was very gifted with his talents.

However what had been concerning him for a while now constantly plaguing him day after day was that it was too convenient. All these powers at his disposal and all the books and technology that he had shown and the films to illustrate his point of being from another world didn't sit right with him. He had believed it at first, with so much evidence it seemed to be irrefutable, however, the more he turned his thoughts on Salem the more he couldn't help but think it was part of an elaborate ruse.

What if Nat had been a spy? Qrow clenched his fist, Nat had known the very first time they met things he shouldn't demonstrating clearly his ability to read minds. Nat had gained Qrows trust than by seemingly to operate honestly even with his powers, because of this he had agreed to train the kid to make sure that his powers remained hidden. It was a mistake though, what if Nat had been assigned to him to learn exactly how he thought or worse. Qrow had under the protection of the kids magic agreed to discuss private things about Ozpin as he was under the belief that the kid knew as well. But what if he wasn't, what if all Nat had was some good background information and made him think that he could read minds revealing information.

Even if it wasn't true and the kid could read minds, then the dangers were only growing. At first, he had agreed with the kid's philosophy of reading the minds of everyone, the faster they gained information then the faster they could find the one who had attacked Autumn. That had changed. The kid had done it on everyone he came across, violating the minds of those he seemingly wished to protect and as the passage of time occurred, a worrying trait began to appear.

Nat was ruthless at times, the attack on this base and other places before had shown just how brutal he could be if he wanted to. Yet that wasn't the main concern but rather what was, was his seemingly powerful drive to defeat those he saw as his enemies. First, he found an enemy, defeated them whole, read their minds and got everything he wanted before moving to the next lot of people and the process would carry on. But to what end, the kid said he wanted to stop Salem but why.

Was it just false words to manipulate him so eventually he would bring him to Ozpin where a devastating strike could be made or did he actually want to defeat a Grimm woman that he only knew about by going though Qrows thoughts?

That child was extremely dangerous and it was clear to him, that he couldn't let the kid continue to be near him for the sake of the group that he was a part of. He needed to inform Ozpin of what had happened. Even if the kid's story was true and that he had no ill towards them, Ozpin had to know at this point. So many plans could have been compromised and the actions taken against other groups may have seen advantageous at first however with closer inspection could prove to be a disaster.

Atlas came to mind, the kid had convinced them to invest in certain technologies and tactics, tactics that he had seemingly thought up of nowhere. What if they weren't, what if those things had been devised because Salem already had a way to defeat such things. His fear gripped him more, the risk that they were facing in an upcoming war as the kid had so often phrased, it made more and more sense as a strategy of misdirection.

Nat had supported the creation of new armies and weaponry for all kingdoms stating that there was nothing that could be done to avoid the war and so people might as well as prepare for it as best they could before it hit. Instead, Qrow saw such words as him trying to weaken the kingdoms and destabilise them. A sudden creation in armies and weapon production would cast large-scale fear among the entire world allowing for a massive rise in Grimm attacks. As far as Salem was concerned, such a chaos and divide in society would be brilliant to further her plans.

His thoughts came racing and as they did so, the higher the probability and stronger belief that the kid had been a spy. Qrow swore loudly, he had to pursue the kid. How had he not seen it, the one he had been pursuing all this time had been the person at his side and giving him directions. He smashed his hand on his table knocking over his flask spilling some of its contents. Instantly his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You bastard" How much alcohol had he consumed since he met the kid, far more then he typically did and he had always allowed the kid to fill it up. Snatching the drink up, he sniffed around the lid. There was no stench of poison, but this was a person with the power of magic at his hand. This had to have been how he gained such information quickly, Nat had been poisoning him ever since or giving him something to induce trust.

As much as he didn't want to think about it, there was definitely reasons for his speculations on the subject and he was sure it wasn't the first time he had thought about it. As time had passed on he had noticed that the kid has used harsher means to prevent Qrow from asking questions, the most recent being to show images of Ruby and Yang dead. However there had to be a reason for it, and Qrow could quite easily see it as the kid's method of trying to halt him from that conclusion as well as wipe his mind.

Qrow swore loudly, slowly this entire time he had been tricked and fooled by a mere child and even worse, he had given that child power. How much damage had the kid been able to inflict on the world, the first thing that came to mind was when he had visited Atlas. Nat had discussed in great detail ways to fight a modern war as well as equipment that needed to be built. He hadn't cared to listen to the conversation founding it boring, but it became all the more clear why the kid had allowed himself to remain several hours with the head of the military.

Nat had likely managed to learn of top-secret Atlas weapons and designs whilst at the same time convincing Ironwood to create new weapons which wouldn't work averting recourse. Shit, it was over already wasn't it, the entire war. They had lost.

Time was in seriously short supply. Instantly Qrow transformed and flew away he had to get to Beacon as fast as possible. Nat knew the location of Autumn and he could get in and disable all security features even worse and kill her. His mind raced again as he soared along with the hot sands of the desert, the kid had planned this all along.

Nat was incredibly cunning he realised, during their attack on the base the communications had been hit to stop them from broadcasting any message and prevent backup. Now he was stuck here in the middle of a dessert with no phone connection that he could use to call Ozpin and tell him to rush to Autumn's defence. By abandoning him here, Nat had full access to the Maiden and could do whatever he desired. Qrows wings beat faster, he had to get to Vale as soon as he could but it was going to take days and Nat could have gotten in and out by now.

Nat

It was really a wonder what the human mind could come up with Nat thought casually as he watched Qrow fly away. Then again it was a reasonable line of thought, and one that he would also likely come to had he been in the man's position. All the same though, he was going to have to deal with this problem the first chance he got.

Time was not on his side, the moment the man would get in range, he would send a message to Ozpin which would cause mass hysteria and panic which was stuff he didn't want to deal with. It was a shame that he was going to have to end the partnership that they shared like this, but ultimately it had to be ended quickly before things got too out of hand. When Qrow went to rest in his sleep, he would then wipe the man's memories of what had happened and plant a few new ones to make him understand why he was located in Menagerie.

All the same, he knew he had to leave Qrow soon. It wasn't the first time that the man had come to the conclusion, and it wasn't the first time that he had dealt with the man's thoughts However as time went on they became more frequent and as a result Nat knew his time was limited before he had to entirely erase the man's memories and leave. Not that Nat hadn't thought of going his own way for a while.

Qrow was a nice guy and all and brilliant tutor to him. He'd learnt a decent amount during their talks and had visited all the kingdoms bar Vale allowing him to blend in more with other people. Combined with his new weapons training which while not good enough to get into a Huntsman academy would enable him to protect himself to a certain extent so long as he didn't face to hard. Even with all that, Nat had his reserves about working with Ozpin and the more he thought about it, the more and more that concern grew.

Ozpin wasn't just any old wizard like back home who could easily be dealt with, no Ozpin was far more akin to those Great Wizards who had come before only far more powerful. If the stories were to be believed, then the man had accomplished something utter impossible back home. Ozpin had turned muggles into magical's. Not only did he give them magic, but that power would keep going and it was strong if their powers were anything to go by. Then there was the fact that the man was seemingly immortal as each time he died he took on a new host and a new life-giving him vast amounts of experience in all types.

Nat liked to think of himself as powerful, he had to be to compete in magical duelling competition but he was no match for anyone like Ozpin if he went by his worlds magical standards. Ozpin may see him as an asset, but everything that the man did point towards an individual who may be fighting for the right cause but would do what was necessary. It was a viewpoint he agreed with and in Ozpins shoes he would do the same thing however that didn't mean that there weren't bound to be adverse effects for him.

Then there was Salem herself, if Ozpin with all his power had been unable to stop her, then what chance did he have. Should his presence ever be made aware, then she would either kill him or forcibly recruit him to her ranks or something worse. If Ozpin was capable of making the maidens, then it didn't sound unfeasible that Salem may be able to turn a person into a type of Grimm if she wished. As for an actual fight, he doubted he would last long which led him to his current decisions.

He had to start off anew. His first objective would be to wipe the memories of anyone who saw him and Qrow together. People like the blacksmith in Vacuo would be one of the more important ones as would any of the people he and Qrow had spoken with when they did the occasional contract to earn a bit of extra money. While it didn't guarantee everything, he needed to reduce his known links to Qrow by as much as possible before heading down a different route.

Speaking of different routes, now that he was on his own he had to choose what he was going to do from now on. He could decide to carry on his training with some other hunter the only thing was that with no money he would have to go on a quest to earn cash which would kind of defeat the point, he could carry on what he was doing against the White Fang and strike against them like a shadow in the night only thing was he wasn't Batman and what was his objective? Kill everyone.

Home, that was the next thing that came to mind. He stopped in his tracks as he thought about the place he had been forced to leave forever and never to return back to. He was never going to see it again and as with many things, as time went on he might even forget what home ever looked like. Right now he can still remember it vividly but as the years went by and he aged would there come to a point where he could no longer remember what Westminster Palace looked like, to no longer see the rare British flag waving in the wind, the lack of red-suited soldiers standing guard outside Buckingham Palace. It was all gone, sights he would never see and was why he figured he needed to write.

It was an unspoken fear of his, but one that he couldn't help but concern himself with is that as time goes on and he likely no longer thinks about home, would he in time entirely forget what his home was like. It wasn't unfathomable, it could take years decades even but as time went on it was possible he could forget the land of his birth. Books could only do so much to remember and as could films that he had with him, but it would never be enough. Never would he feel the atmosphere of home, or hear the sound people speaking in accents he knew as British. Neither could he watch the Prime Minister squirm as they were asked questions which forced them to state what they were up to.

Then there was the land itself, he was now forever barred from ever wandering through the lake district climbing the mountains of Wales, admiring the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and gaze upon the strange formations of the Giant Causeway. Instead, he was now alone in a world full of monsters and dangers where his gifts could condemn him if either Salem of Ozpin found out.

With a war brewing, it was inevitable that it was going to be deadly, he couldn't predict the number of deaths, but if it was anything like the Great War here, then hundreds of thousands would be killed which was a massive number for this world. He had no intention of running away from such a fight, if Salem won then the world was fucked and since he was now on this world, so was he. Already he had taken action to try and help Ozpins side, yet it became clearer as the days passed on that he wasn't a good fit for that Wizard. Instead, the best thing to do was to quit now and go off on his own.

So many things he could do in this world that he couldn't, the possibilities were almost limitless. It was almost like walking into a blank canvas, the basics were already put in place and it was up to him to decide what he was going to do whilst he was on this planet. As much as he enjoyed combat, the feeling of adrenaline rushing through a person's blood, the way it made one think so sharply and do everything almost by reflex, he couldn't keep it up forever. He knew that he would get bored of hunting down groups of monsters time and time again for the rest of his life would get too boring and dull. Besides, he was a Ravenclaw and they valued other traits than just wit, wisdom and intelligence; They also valued creativity.

As he had thought before, this world was nearly a blank canvas that he could do whatever he desired. He hadn't been too serious when he mentioned creating a country, it was just something he said randomly, a brief thought that he entertained. Now, however, he thought differently. Having visited three of the four Kingdoms and Menagerie, he had grown witness to the stark difference between nations on his world and the nations here. He would have had more concern had the scenario been different. It was entirely unfeasible to create a new nation back home, but he was afforded extreme luxuries here if he took them.

Very little land was actually used by the people of Remnant. Sure the kingdoms claimed large swaths of land which amounted to entire continents, but it couldn't keep or hold it, rather it sounded more as a balance of power than anything else. Each kingdom had its own amount of land that it could do with as it wished and held the recourses of that continent. Only thing was, they didn't maintain the land if they had then small villages wouldn't vanish as the kingdoms would have the strength and power to project that far. Which meant in reality, all land that was claimed was only for show; allowing for areas that were a good distance away from other nations to easily be ruled by other groups.

Whilst the chance of attack from a kingdom was slim, that did not mean however that there was no danger present. Bandits stalked villages and like Grimm had a tendency to wipe out any villages they find with the survivors left to be eaten by Grimm. Then there were the Grimm itself, the only villages that lasted for more than a year had good terrain and tenacious citizens' to guard it. However, even then there were casualties.

He shook his head, he was getting to carried away with things for the moment. Putting aside the difficulties of just creating a nation, he had more pressing concerns to deal with now that he was on his own. First of which, would be choosing how he was going to spend his days. A lot was going to be made out of this decision and would reflect how he was going to have to act and go about any plans he wished to accomplish.

He desired to keep combating Salem and her lot, but he could not carry on down the route of dealing with every single problem at a time. Every attack that's stopped, White Fang member killed, plan foiled and incompetence shown will be made aware to those in charge. Salem would soon figure out what's happening and if she is able to detect magic, then she will come straight for him. Instead, he needed to work on having the whole picture in sight. Rather than striking bases, he needed to find those that were in charge and learn their plans. Once that is done he would have to star formulating counter plans and even more plans to prevent any action that Salem and her goons wished to undertake in their mad dash for power and destruction.

Even so, that left questions of if he would act on any counter plans. His entire strategy worked around knowing what the enemy was going to do, however, if stopped them outright then again Salem would figure out that somehow someone was able to know their plans. Then again his plans and strategy didn't have to be entirely confrontational in fact the less direct he was the better his chances were. With that in mind, his strategy should focus on building a spy network where he could give Ozpin useful information and distract Salems forces.

Other key strategies could be used when it came to defeating Salem such as preventing them from getting hold of certain artefacts. Now from what little Qrow new about the defences of the relics, he was not able to open them on his own and would instead require the power of the maidens. Holding the Relics under guard would be good, however, if he was able to prevent Salem from getting the maidens, then he stopped her from gaining not only a powerful device but also a powerful person.

Only more problems arose, should he be able to catch a maiden and keep them under guard, then he could not afford to be out in the open. He would need somewhere defensible, a place that even if it wasn't able to stand up against Salem's force, would give him just enough time to escape with the Maiden. Wandering out in the open could not provide that. Of course, there were some advantages, with things like illusion spells he could keep a maiden hidden in normal scenarios as could he keep himself hidden preventing anyone from attacking by association. But what if other maidens could sense one another's power or if Salem herself could tell who was a maiden and who was not.

No, he required a place he could sit back and brace against an attack and escape if needed. For that type of strategy, he needed a fortress of some kind that he could then enchant to make it stronger. Only thing was, his scroll didn't exactly have a list of old abandoned forts he could just occupy and even if they weren't intact and he could use magic, he doubted that they would be much good. Not to mention if a maiden was going to be residing in there for the period of the war, then it had to be relatively comfortable and give such a woman her own space so as not to make her feel crowded.

As he thought about it, the clearer it became. His objective would be to kidnap a maiden for the upcoming war and keep them safe even if against their will. (Dear Merlin if that didn't sound wrong, he didn't know what did) For such a thing he needed a strong defensible fortress that would be both out of the way and resilient to attack, but also have a decent set of surroundings for a person to enjoy themselves. Speaking of which, this fortress would really kill multiple birds with one stone.

The fortress he chose could become his new home, the area around it could become a village type which would provide aid to Ozpin secretly, any village he created could become strong with his help and expand eventually becoming another kingdom. It would require substantial effort and time just to build a fortress to start off with, but such a place would hold very high value if he ever in the future deemed it necessary to assist Ozpin and his lot out in the open.

However, that had to wait as his first concern was dealing with Qrow. It wouldn't be an easy fight, Qrow had a good idea of what he could do and Nat knew he had no chance of winning a conventional fight against the Huntsman. That left only a sneak attack as the only viable option presented to him. The question was how long would it take before he could strike.

One of the strategies he had in mind was based purely on exhaustion. Qrow was bound to suspect a sneak attack and would do his best to guard against it. This meant that he would get less sleep in order to minimise the risk if no sleep at all, he was also going to have to be a lot more alert. Qrow may be able to sense when a person is approaching him in the night and wake up to defend himself, but could he do it when his body was so utterly shattered that he needed the rest.

It was a long game, it could take days if not weeks to get the man to the point where his body physically had to shut itself down to recuperate allowing him to strike. Although the process could be accelerated if he took actions to exhaust the man, he cold-. Never mind he had an idea." With a flick of his wand, he conjured a birdcage and then quickly enchanted it to be indestructible. With that done, he casually pointed his wand towards where he had seen Qrow fly off to and used an Accio charm on the man turned crow.

There was a loud squawk of indignation as the bird who had once been in a hurry to escape back to Ozpin sound found itself being yanked out of the sky at impressive speed. With the force used against the man, Qrow had no ability to correct his flight path and any attempt to try and fly away did nothing as the tanking was too strong. Instantly Qrow realised just what had happened and to combat this transformed back into his human form his large sword in its gun form as he scoured the sand below for the wizard hoping to take a shot.

"Shit" Swearing loudly, it became rather obvious to the Huntsman, that Nat was hiding underneath one of his many spells preventing any sort of counter-attack. What was worse, was that the spell didn't break now that he was in his human form, instead, he was being pulled towards a cage which rapidly grew larger. "Oh no, you are not putting me in some cage" Changing his aim to the revealed cage, Qrow immediately gave fire blasting off fire, lighting and earth dust in hopes of smashing the cage into tiny pieces and running what was now a confirmed Salem lackeys plan.

It was all for nought. All the powerful blasts of fire unleashed by the fire dust didn't do so much as scold the metal bars of the cage, the ice dust also did nothing just striking it and then melting. Earth came next as large boulders appeared and smacked against the cage like an old catapult hoping to dent it, it did nothing. Finally came lighting where Qrow hoped the powerful blast might do something, but instead it was simply absorbed like the cage itself was a lightning rod. Qrow swore again as he still felt the tight hold of the kids magic dragging him into the cage, he tried to fight it by pulling up his aura in hopes that it may break the connection but like everything else it did nothing.

Once again swearing, Qrow gazed at the cage he was hurtling towards searching for some kind of weak point that he could hit with his sword. Panic and anger then struck him as the moment he did so his weapon flew out of his hand and landed in the yellow sand of this dessert. "Kid when I get my hands on you" It was too late and Qrow knew it as well.

Slamming hard into the cage with a mighty thud Qrow only remained alive because of his powerful aura. Not allowing for the enemy to get one chance, he rushed up jumping at the still open door of the cage. Only he slammed into it knocking him backwards from the force into the rest of the cage. He growled, gripping the bars as tightly as he could. Soon he changed his strategy going for his scroll, if Nat was going to wipe his mind, then he needed to leave some type of not for himself.

Wrenched from his grip, Qrow felt as if everything he had done up to now was for nothing. His scroll detonated in mid-air sending chunks all over the place and in all directions a few even striking Qrow himself. More importantly, a few hit a barrier that appeared out of nowhere revealing to Qrow the location of the one who had been captured.

"Do what you want to me Kid, Ozpin and the others will beat you in the coming war. When Oz realised I'm missing, he'll move the maiden away before you and the rest of your group can get to her." A red light struck Qrow before he knew what happened throwing him against the wall of the other cage. Struggling, Qrow stood up now aware that the kid had no desire to even talk to him, he attempted to speak again only as he did o no noise came out. Still wanting to antagonise the kid, he raised his fingers in a mocking way the result was that that the man soon found himself wrapped in thick unbreakable chains and hung upside down forcing all the blood to go to his brain.

From there, the man never stood a chance as five powerful stunning spells struck the Huntsman in quick succession ensuring that the man would definitely be knocked out and that he wouldn't be waking up any time soon and become an annoying pest in the future.

Outside the cage, Nat began work on wiping away Qrows memories and implanting new ones. It was a lot of work, while the two of them hadn't been working alongside one another for too long, they had been around each other for a decent amount of time meaning there was a lot more content then a person might initially think. All of it had to go, from their first meeting to random conversations to the points where Qrow had trained him extensively in weapons and combat. In its place, Nat kept the events somewhat similar to what had happened but far more focused on the idea that it had been Qrow on his own than with any sort of partner at his side.

Qrow had just randomly been in the area when his friends train had been hit, that he had gained a few favours from a teleporting faunus to explain why he had been in different areas so quickly and that the friend had been killed by White Fang members explaining why Qrow had put things temporarily on hold of searching for Salem and her goons. Then there came the thing such as the payments he had made to other places for extra food than needed alongside the very large expenditure when it came to the purchase of weapons. Things like extra food were explained by the man trying to pick up women or treating the occasional poor sod who looked like they had just climbed out of a gutter or for the imaginary teleporting faunus. As for the weapons, that was harder but he was going to explain it as him buying something for a friend and said friend was going to give the money back. Only that friend had gone missing and he can't find them anywhere and he believed that it could have something with the Grimm and White Fang attacks.

Other smaller things had to be sorted out as well including why he had been seen on security cameras, but again Nat would do his best to tamper with any records once he was done with Qrow. Still, it was the same story, he had gone to Atlas to investigate the White Fang but didn't want Ironwood catching him. Aside from that and the large amount of work he had to do in other areas of the world, Nat felt himself coming to an end of erasing the memories and could now go about crafting them in enough detail to feel believable enough whilst also trying to be as subtle as he possibly could when it came to Ozpin.

Had he known about Ozpin from the start, then he wouldn't have messed with Qrow. The risk of pissing of a wizard who was a powerful as Ozpin was not something Nat wanted to find out. However, what had been done was done and there was no going back. Should Ozpin be able to detect what had been done to Qrows mind, then all he had to concern himself about was hiding in some remote corner of the planet for the rest of his life until he eventually died. He didn't know how long it would take for Ozpin to discover such tampering if he could in the first place, but that only reinforced the need for a defendable location that he could hide.

Whether it was Ozpin or Salem, the moment they caught wind of his existence, they would come for him and there was little he could do to defend himself. Ozpin was a powerful wizard who may be losing his power, but ultimately was still very likely far more powerful then he was and would beat him in a fight. Hell, he had only beaten Qrow because the man hadn't been expecting an attack so soon rather Qrow had expected himself to be attacked at night or when he was more at risk. Not to mention that Qrow was in his bird form if he hadn't then Qrow would have been far more dangerous and require far more effort to sneak up on.

For all his magic, Nat knew in an actual fight Qrow wasn't an easy opponent. The man had faced countless another huntsman, Grimm and dangerous opponents over his lifetime and all of them had different semblances so he could figure out what to do. Qrow would also have a good idea as to how he would be attacked and how to counter any magic thrown against him and what type of magic he could expect. There wasn't a chance Nat would risk getting close to Qrow to reduce the amount of time a spell had to fly through the air to reach him, the moment he was in sword range than Qrow would slice his wand in two and any attempt to go for another weapon would be countered.

Even with Qrows weapon gone, he also had better training with martial arts and would beat him. Combined with other factors such as experience, Nat was very much aware that fighting Qrow without more experience especially in close up fighting that he would lose badly and soon be brought to Ozpin if not killed instantly. It was what he would do in Qrows position if he was aware that his captive could teleport away the moment they woke up, then he would kill them to prevent them from returning back to their boss and co-criminals.

Unfortunately, as he finished the last fake memory of Qrow, he had no idea whether this was or was not going to work. If he got lucky, then he wouldn't have to deal with a likely angry centuries-old wizard with great powerful knocking at his door. On the other hand, he would just be thrown back into the same position he had been in before only now he had to take orders from people he didn't know if he could trust.

With the work finished and Qrow still knocked unconscious with memories altered, he vanished the indestructible cage but still kept the man restrained and grabbed him. From there he apparated back into the main city of Menagerie and then promptly found one of the less frequented taverns and dumped the man outside out of the way. After that, he began to make the scene a bit more believable with a whole lot of alcohol making the place smell and covered the man himself in it. With the memories inside the man's head, Qrow would think when he came too that he had drunk far too much and was now paying for it with a vicious headache. Once completed, he made a survey of the area and made sure that a few people also had false memories of Qrows drunken excursion. Finally, when he finished, he apparated.

1 Week Later

Island of Vytal

Sighing loudly, Nat allowed his eyes to wander over the lush green valley in front of him. It was a beautiful sight, something out of a painting or where poets would write about. Birds flew in the sly quite peacefully, while a pack of deer moved slowly through munching on the local berries that a few of the shrubs produced.

It was picturesque this place. Tall snow-topped mountains surrounded it on all sides with only a few caves allowing entrance from the outside world, not that it was easy considering that they were covered in thick forest which held a large number of creatures including Grimm. In the centre was a giant glistening blue lake teeming with all sorts of fish created by a great many deal of small streams that sprang from all across this closed valley making what appeared to be small rivers running about all over the place. Trees swayed gently as a breeze came over as did the flowers in the more open grassland areas.

This valley ran for several miles making a rough circle shape hiding an entirely wondrous landscape and Nat couldn't help but wonder why nobody had lived here. Sure it wasn't easy to find, in fact, he only knew about the place because of his ability to apparate negating next to all natural barriers. But still, somebody else was bound to have known about this place and turn it into a home however nobody had.

It was certainly large enough for a decent sized town back home to live in when he said that the valley was big, he meant giant. A city could very easily fit in this area or a town and with all the vast open land that could be used for farming and raising animals, it would be incredibly well protected. Then again, it was also incredibly isolated. Despite the man small rivers converging onto a massive lake wherein the centre lay an unusually large rock formation easily big enough to hold a large fantasy scale castle, there was no way to trade with the rest of the world.

There was no large river that ran to the sea, there was no natural roads or big enough caves to transport goods efficiently. Caves here while thin and tall enough for a few deer to enter, also stopped the Grimm from entering as well. Also with snow capped mountains on all sides, it made sky transport harder well at least by Earth standards where you had to fly low so one could land the plane.

He wouldn't complain, this untouched beautiful valley like something out of a fantasy book had been left alone and untouched. With the natural geography of this place, a good size village could appear here entirely protected by its geography however Nat didn't want to build a village here. The natural beauty of this place was immense and the moment people built a village here, recourses would be taken straight away which was not something he wanted. On the other hand, if only a single person was to live in this luxurious are and take care of it, then the natural beauty could say.

He had been looking for places to live as he had backtracked everywhere he had been the last few days ensuring that nobody knew of his connection to Qrow, and this place was perfect. Beautiful, alone, isolated with good soil that food could be grown on and natural animals and their habitat. Had things been different, then he would have liked to construct a castle here.

The area did lend itself way to a fortified base to be used in a war, it was just unfortunate that it wasn't exactly feasible. Even with the power of magic at his command, constructing something as intricate as a castle was beyond his skills in fact even Hogwarts had taken years to be built and that was built by four of the most powerful and talented witches and wizard of the time.

While he could always steal heavy machinery to assist in such an endeavour, he would still need to find a place that he could use as quarries. Castles required large amounts of stone not to mention all the mortal that had to be used in its construction. Then there were things such as design, it was al well and good creating things on a computer or paper, but without the proper knowledge of an architect, anything he designed would likely go badly. For instance, how deep did foundations have to go, how much stress was applied on certain joints, all of these things he would have to know about if he wanted to make the structure as physically sound as possible.

Physically safe was one of his main concerns. It was all well and good having the castle be supported by magic, however, if the magic holding the building up failed because of an attack, then the thing would just collapse where it stood decimating the built castle.

As such for now, he was content with the log house that he had built. It wasn't the fanciest thing in the world, but it was a safe location that he could all back to if the need arose and considering that he didn't own much property, he had no need to decorate vast halls with all types of random things like suits of armour or paintings. That didn't mean that his log house was worthless, it had multiple rooms such as a kitchen, dining g room, swimming pool, training room as well as other different rooms that he could use. One of the most important rooms and the one he was regularly in was his war room.

As the name suggesterd, the war room had been created to help him keep track of all things related to the upcoming war. It was actually kind of plain in design really if one was to enter then they might have thought it was a plain empty black room with no windows. In truth, however, the rooms true design activated with he use of holograms. Maps, information of all kinds, communication systems were all prevalent and there was more than one combat station so that a multitude of people could work in the area of it was required.

So far he had put in as much information as he could on military factors starting with Atlas. Thanks to an undefended Ironwood, it had been a relatively easy job to sneak in and learn all the numbers he needed of the strength of Atlas when it came to their military. This included things such as how many guardian robots they had, how many they could build in a year, how much they cost, what their capabilities were, the tactics used for them as well as their weaknesses. He had done the exact same thing with all the other devices that Atlas had from their airships to small vessels.

Then there was the case of command structures, knowing who was in charge of the military, how it worked how much was spent on it, how much manpower was needed, how many people could be conscripted into the army and how much that would cost in things like production. While it wasn't exactly the interesting stuff, it would all assist logistics in the future of the war and hopefully enable him to learn where he could apply his own strengths best. For instance, there was no point in him going to the aid of random soldiers if he could roughly tell how long they could hold of an enemy before he had to rescue them. For instance, should infantry be facing against tanks, then it would be a larger concern then infantry facing off against other infantry.

Then came the holographic maps of nearly the entire planet giving him vital information on a large area of the world's landmass. By using these maps, he was starting to point out areas that the White Fang may be utilised to commit their crimes and get away with it. While they did have smaller bases inside the cities of the world, their main bases had to be outside away from prying eyes or retaliation.

So far in Vale, he had pinpointed one place that would make an excellent staging area. Mountain Glenn had once been a colony of Vale to expand their power further inland, large Grimm attack and not as beneficiary territory resulted in its destruction and abandonment where Grimm even to this day lurked because of the huge residue of negative emotions. If the White Fang was working with the Grimm as he expected them to, then it would make for a brilliant base.

Mountain Glenn already had basic infrastructure that while it was in need of repair, could easily be dealt with faster than trying to build an entirely new city from scratch. With a host of huge grim, huntsman and huntresses would be far less willing to investigate such a place and even those who did preparing for a fight with Grimm likely would not expect a White Fang ambush.

All of that was secondary, however, o the true prize of Mountain Glenn the underground city. Such a place could not be watched with aircraft allowing for a large group to easily amass large supplies and troops near Vales border without anybody being any the wiser. It also promised a very prominent attack route into the city of Vale. When the city fell, the old train tunnels between Vale and Mountain Glen had allegedly been filled in to prevent a Grimm Attack.

That was the problem, they had been filled in, not destroyed permanently. While it would take time, the White Fang could start digging up those old tunnels and use them back to their true purpose once more. It would explain how large amounts of White Fang terrorist were seemingly able to enter and exit without a large number of flying vehicles constantly buzzing the city. Worse, it could be used to ferry grimm into the city in the case of an attack entirely negating Vales defences by some underground back door.

If there were a Grimm attack, then the old tunnels being blown open to allow Grimm in would end up in a full-scale slaughter as the Grimm would pour through the city into an undefended place while what soldiers there were in Vale had to hold the enemy off at the front gate.

Still, it was all speculation and should he discover that such an elaborate plan was real, then what did he do. He wasn't going to risk stepping inside the city of Vale because of Ozpin which ruled out giving them a message directly via speaking or magic in general. He also couldn't just send a text or something as again Ozpin was bound to know individuals who could follow any message back to him and certainly wasn't going to take on the enemy by himself.

Stopping a few smaller operations was fine, but something like an attack on Vale would be considered humungous and some random person just stopping it out of nowhere would gain the wrong type of attention. That left observation, he would simply have to observe the progress of the White Fang in their mission. When they got to a certain point he would use less direct means of having somebody checking it out, perhaps he could send a huntsman on such a quest. A simple job request with a high reward was bound to be accepted by somebody who needed the money and he would get two results.

First the huntsman would succeed and deal with the White Fang preventing the attack, secondly, they would die meaning that another huntsman is sent. If huntsman kept getting killed, then there was going to be an arousal of suspicion and eventually, Qrow may even get sent to investigate the area and then he could deal with the problem.

Yet he could feel that he would have to wait for such a scenario, he still had to confirm the presence of the White Fang at mountain Glen and even when he had done that, it was a matter of waiting for the right moment to start such a quest. Well, that and he needed to get a decent amount of money to pay for such a quest if he wanted it to be carried out.

Other than keeping an eye on Mountain Glenn, he would also need to try and locate the higher up members of Salem's group and also keep eyes on them. Finally, as he wasn't going to try and directly confront the enemy anymore, his best course of action would be to go around making a spy network. There were bound to be members of the White Fang who regretted joining if he could find them and convince them to send him reports on what was happening, he could spend more of his time focusing on larger more important matters.

The question was, where to start. There was no chance of walking into Vale, the risk was too high with Ozpin which left him with the other continents of the world. His best bet was likely in Atlas, as the nation where Faunus were oppressed the most, that would be where he was most likely to find Faunus who wanted to join. On the other hand that also made it harder as the Faunus there was bound to be far more for the cause of the White Fang then any other place. Yet, all the same, he still needed spies in Atlas so it didn't matter where he started just so long as he got his spies and the information network he desired so badly.

With his mind decided on Atlas, he thought of the city which had only been recently attacked and apparated there with the intention to find someone willing to get him what he desired.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 19**

Vale

Mount Glenn

If ever there had been a place in modern Remnant history to demonstrate just how dangerous the world was, Mount Glenn was it. Walking down these old abandoned streets Nat could clearly see just what the Grimm were capable of doing what they would do if given the opportunity. The city was almost like a desolate wasteland, old buildings stop upon what remained of their foundations, any sense of bright and happy colours was entirely gone instead replaced only with a dark monotonous grey.

It was a very odd sight to see a city like this for the young wizard. Despite his knowledge of how different this world is to his own, he was still very biased in his view of the world because of that upbringing. He was sure that there were abandoned cities back home for whatever reason, be it for a lack of recourses, lack of opportunity or somewhere better had revealed itself, yet he couldn't think of a city that had been abandoned because its very people had been slaughtered. What was even more apparent as he crossed over these old floors was the lack of bones or deceased. There were no bodies, no bones, no visible reminder of those who had been killed.

He moved lightly through the city. Under the protection of a silencing, scent and a powerful illusion charm, it would make him almost impossible for the creatures of Grimm to detect his presence. All the same, his wand was still drawn and a spell always at the edge of his lips while his eyes never stayed still for even the briefest of moments.

As an environment, Mount Glenn was different to anywhere else he might fight. Instead of forests or cliffs or open plains and grassland, he was instead in the middle of a heavily built-up area. Old American styles buildings in their American styled blocks made for a great many areas that had high tall locations for anyone to sit down and observe the comings and goings. That was if of course they weren't already killed by the Grimm that festered in the city as bacteria did with an open wound. From just this position alone he had already noted seven beowolves all on different towers and all of which were going about casually but still occasionally observing the general area.

Mount Glen attracted Grimm as fire did to flame and honey to bees. Where humans saw shattered glass, blown water pipes that had long since dried and ruined frail corpses of houses, the Grimm felt the fear, sadness, death and destruction that lingered in the city and fed on it. Again the longer he dwelt in this place the more he felt a strange experience, one that he had felt before but never as strongly.

On his trips to different trips, he had visited old battlefields and took in the sight. In France he had walked over the green scarred fields of the Somme, in Russia it had been the once-battered streets of Stalingrad now known as Volgograd, in Italy it had once again been the roads of Rome and in Japan he had stared at the sight of where the deadliest weapon ever used in human history had been deployed. All of them still had the feeling of death still lingering there, a reminder of what had happened and a certain atmosphere of the past.

Mount Glenn, on the other hand, was vastly different. Back home while death still lingered, it felt as if it was passing on. With nearly all who had fought in the second world war dead beside a very few rare survivors, the memories were nearly entirely gone allowing for places to recover. Here though it lingered horribly, the atmosphere was not one of business and general life of a normal city, the feeling of worry as a poor mother had to work multiple dead-end jobs was not present and neither was the one for a rich business owner laughing as they drove expensive cars down the streets. It was just... death.

As he kept on his slow journey of travelling through the worn out city, he had to fight the urge to turn at every corner to stay still or hide behind every single wall or safe place he could. Pressing down relentlessly and never-ending was the sheer atmosphere of a city that wanted all that visited to know what had happened, to scream to the world that it had been violated destroyed and left abandoned. If cities could take, then he was pretty sure that this city would hold no love in its heart. It would be a child that had been loved once but when harsh times had befallen it was then left abandoned in the middle of the rain. Now he could tell that if anyone did ever come back to try and re-forge the city, to place it back into the fire and hammer it out, that the city would shatter and break.

However, there was also something else. This city's woes were not only because of what had happened to it but also because of something that lurked nearby. A Grimm was his first thought, however, none came to mind, at least none that were strong enough to make this city feel even worse than it was initially. All the same, it was ever-present, like a radio in the background. You knew it was there but it was never your first thought and would only pay attention to something big happened. Whatever was here, whatever was hiding in this place, it was obviously undisturbed, sleeping even.

For a moment a sense of dreaded curiosity took over. What could be here that was so daunting, what type of powerful Grimm could possibly there be in existence and how did his own power compare to it. He soon regained his mind, however. Powerful creatures were not to be woken up without a plan on how to deal with them. Any possible attempt to hunt down a creature could result in a disastrous outcome for not only him but also the residents of Vale. He should leave such a creature well enough alone and not pursue it.

"I hate this, having to patrol the area. Seriously who's stupid enough to visit Mount Glenn anyway?" Turning the corner, Nat came across two White Fang soldiers both dressed in their full gear consisting of a white and black hooded uniform and Grimm mask with their weapon equivalent of an assault rifle in hand.

"Tell me about it. The worst thing is we're the advanced group, we're not supposed to be getting any new guys for months" Nat smiled to himself at the presence of the two soldiers, he had appeared to have been correct on his assessment of Mount Glenn being used as an operational base. Despite his happiness with finding two enemy combatants, he could certainly sympathise with them not wanting to be in this area.

"It's terrible, I don't know what our leaders are thinking working so near Grimm, but it freaks me out" Shrugging his shoulders, the other White Fane member then apparently so bored of his job walked over to the nearest comfortable place and sat down placing his rifle on the floor, His fellow soldier, on the other hand, didn't need any prompting rapidly joining him in such an endeavour.

"Of all the places in Vale that we could have been stuck at, it had to be this dam shit heap of human mess. Wish I had taken that opportunity to be a recruiter instead" The other guard shook his head sighing loudly and leant back so far that it appeared that they might tumble off but managed to correct his posture with a recently revealed monkey tail.

"Well, it beats being in that base back in that fucking dessert. "

"Oh shit yeah, having to deal with all that heat when we know that there would be cute girls a little distance away. Could you imagine having to sneak out at night" The other faunus looked down his fingers gingerly holding his weapon?

"That's not what I meant"

"Then what do you mean, don't tell me that someone already took all the cute girls" The guy laughed gently pulling his finger across his rifle inspecting it for any type of damage.

"That base in the desert, it was overrun by Grimm. Everybody assigned there died" The soldier stopped his head spinning round to face his friend. Although he was unable to show it because of the hood and mask, his shock and horror came through quite clearly.

"Seriously" The other man nodded. "Shit, I had a friend who said he was being assigned there." The other soldier winced patting his friends shoulder in a friendly manner. "We met in training, got moved to another place once we were finished. I hope he got out"

"When our shift is over I'll send you the casualty report," Nodding softly the man breathed out clutching his gun tightly his hidden eyes pointed back to the floor.

"Fuck man. Fucking Grimm cunt bastards, when I get my hands on them, I swear I'll rip their fucking head off" Straightening his back, the soldier or terrorist depending on who you asked almost charged away from his position to go find the nearest creature and kill it. Thankfully for them, they were stopped by their friend who had the common sense to not go rushing off in blind madness to engage monstrous creatures.

"Calm down Jerry, we have a job to do here. Besides the last thing we need is to get our heads ripped off from the boss, do you remember what they did to the last guy who pissed the guy off." Jerry visibly shivered in fright. The last person who had annoyed their commander had been tied to a piece of rope and then hung from one of the decrepit skyscrapers. Wriggling around as he tried to get free, the man was soon set upon by multiple Grimm and was devoured soon afterwards.

"Shit yeah." With sagging his shoulders, Jerry stood back up again joined by his friend and went back to work immediately lest they are caught by one of their supervisors. Unknown to them, their little break had long since been taken advantage off by the other person who was in the city, if they or their bosses had known who they were dealing with, then they would have received an even harsher punishment for their incompetence.

Inside Mountain Glenn

Appearing silently inside the large cavern underneath the city, Nat was once more reminded of just how difficult it was for muggle's to fight wizards and witches. He had just infiltrated what he assumed was to be a top-secret enemy base with complete relative ease. All that had been required was to find one soldier go through his mind and instantly he was not only aware of the general plan that was going on in this place, but also who was in charge and where exactly they were keeping their recourses.

Now having bypassed a good amount of early defences, it was an incredibly easy thing to watch as the small amount of White Fang went about their business in the cave. Cave was a little bit of a simplification. It was massive this place, a huge dark cavern with massive grey stone halls that stretched on for miles and miles, tall ceilings that went on for the same distance. For the most part, the place was lit by typical dust lights that were hung all over the place making them appear like little Christmas lights in the distance twinkling and almost inviting people in. A better analogy Nat would think would be that in terms of size, it was like something out of a fantasy book where the dwarves lived underground with great palaces and kingdoms. Only where dwarves would build into the rock using the terrain to make the city itself, the previous inhabitants had merely gone with the idea of putting a normal human city underground.

Down below in the cavern, The wizard's eyes soon caught some objects of interest to him. Dust. As he had suspected, the White Fang had indeed been collecting and storing dust and this was where they had hidden it. Not entirely a bad idea. Mountain Glenn was notorious for being dangerous and certainly not a place where young Huntsman and Huntresses should ever visit. One needed to only look from one of the skyscrapers to see the Oliphant's thundering away on their journey. Sorry, he meant Grimm elephants, he'd been thinking too much on Lord of the Rings recently.

There were all kinds of dust, however one was far more prominent than any other. Fire dust was by far the most required when it came to matters of war in Remnant. Like wizards relied on magic, Remnant relied on dust negating the need for any other alternative. The standard remnant firearm used fire dust as the equivalent of gunpowder in guns back home. It worked at the propellant for the gun as well as the main hit of bullets. Lightning and ice bullets did exist, but fire dust could make both exploding bullets as well as incendiary rounds making them quite lethal. More notably, they could also be used for some rather large and powerful explosions. With enough fire dust packed in close together within a small confine, the White Fang could easily get hold off some powerful weapons that could blow up large pieces of earth.

As for the other dust, that he saw was being used in other places although in far fewer quantities then the fire dust was. Electrical dust was being used to keep multiple devices like televisions and radio equipment working whereas the ice dust was currently creating ice cubes. All of them, however, were also being walked over in smaller crates to another area where a few members of the White Fang were ripping over crates and then pouring certain quantities into metal pointed shapes before then being hit with a hammer. It certainly wasn't a modern assembly line, but when you were not liked by the rest of the world's major governments, it probably wasn't easy getting your hands on military equipment.

Further back in the cavern, however, was the true prize of this underground city. An old train had been pulled back into the station with ropes and the help of a lot of faunus who had taken off their hoods and mask in order to wipe their faces clean of the sweat and exhaustion that they were now covered in. Presented with such a golden chance, Nat summoned up the camera he had brought with him when he initially went on holiday and apparated closer to a more advantageous position.

With their faces revealed, and he himself hidden with an effort made to ensure that there would be no flash, he started to take pictures. He got everyone, from the older more middle-aged men wearing a wedding finger on their hands to the more youthful teenagers who wouldn't even be old enough to join up for the UK armed services at 16 years old. Even a few small children had helped in the effort and began walking around with little trays of food and drink offering them up in order to be helpful.

The teenagers were quick to take food and drink from the kids before then rushing off to form small groups and talk to one another. Walking closer still under the disguise of a very powerful illusion harm, Nat was then forced to listen to something he hated. Normal teenage shit. They were no stereotypical bad guy speech such as how they hated humans or what humans they wanted to enslave or how they might torture humans, it was just normal shit. They talked about their families, trouble at home perhaps their favourite video game or music artists maybe even about makeup. Both genders discussed things like sex and relationships like who was with who or what one person did with another. They were normal everyday people who had their own lives and were discussing such lives.

It was fucking boring.

Once again, Nat was faced with the reason why he had never bothered to make friends with other people his own age despite the fact that he never had time to. People his own age were boring and discussed boring topics. Who gave a shit about if Laura was fucking Callum in the broom closet or what type of slut Jessica was for having seven boyfriends in a year. He much preferred to discuss more relative and interesting topics, such as a hypothetical scenario of wizarding Britain vs the United Kingdom and how such a war would entail and the possible outcomes. Unlike two people fucking, thinking about such situations would prove useful in the circumstances that such a war did inevitably breakout which was entirely possible. Not probable, but not impossible.

Faced with such boredom and innocence, Nat briefly entertained the idea of bringing the entire city on their heads. On one hand, he would stop an attack from the White Fang yet on the other he would drag attention to himself. Then again, it would be quite a sight, an entire cavern collapsing in on itself burying the people who were here under rock and stone. Watching in an interesting fashion as any lucky survivor starved to death or die from a lack of oxygen. However it was a folly and he knew that he could not intervene, on the other hand, he could always send someone else to do the dirty work.

Keeping an eye on the place would be easy, a trip every so few days would enable him to keep check of their process. Once they were getting into a position to launch a strike, he'd offer a mission with a reward and have it appear in beacons job menu. With any luck, some team would be sent see the situation and report back to Ozpin.

Besides that, however, he was also now faced with a golden opportunity to gather more information. With the secrecy he had, he could easily learn the names and faces of anyone important in the organisation. They type of knowledge was going to be invaluable in the war and the moment it started he would already have a list of names he could take out one by one severely hampering any White Fang efforts.

Other than thought, there was nothing else he could do here, all other action would reveal who he was or give off the impression to others that there was someone else besides Qrow who was snooping around their group. It was a bit of a shame, this very moment he could devastate one of the major plans that the group had. Inevitably it would save lives in the short term, but he was thinking more long term.

His most important goal had to be to know what the enemy was up to as much as possible and assist in small amounts. Salem this Grim woman was the largest threat. Already she was showing that she was not going to attack mindlessly but rather in smart tactical moves designed to isolate each kingdom from one another. Inevitably, that would mean an assault on the CCT's. If only one were to go down, then they all went down destroying communication. Personally, it was a terrible system to have put in place and especially without backup. Anyone with half a brain could figure out that the CCT was a major target.

He nodded gently to himself as he figured out just what this whole underground train business was about. The attack was a distraction. If Grimm started pouring suddenly into the city, then defences would be moved to counter it, if this was then combined with a larger assault by the White Fang, then that would lead to an even bigger reaction. All the huntsman and police would be distracted leaving a narrow window for a small strike force to take out the tower itself.

When he combined that with the knowledge that Autumn was directly underneath the Vale CCT, then it made sense that any strike force would also include the person who had attacked Autumn in the first place. That person would likely be able to power through most remaining guards besides anyone in Ozpins group. If such an attack were to go well, then not only would the CCT go down, but the power of Autumn would be handed into Salem's clutches while Vale the second strongest of all the kingdoms would fall into chaos and be out of the fight.

Despite all this, the power of the maidens was nothing but a key to far more powerful artefacts. That was what Salem was truly after, these toys that could likely end the world with their power. That was what he had to prevent. If just one of these things fell into the hands of Salem then who knew what damage could be wrought. More importantly, since Ozpin had decided not to keep such things out in the open, he was concerned with anyone getting hold of them keeping them in obvious places.

Perhaps he should take one of the relics for himself. Not to use of course, but to hide. With his magic and existence unknown, it would give a certainty that at least for a certain amount of time that Salem would be unable to get her hands on such weapons. Then again, such a device could also act as a glowing beacon dragging anyone and everyone towards him as he shone out in the distance negating his hidden usefulness.

As for the maidens themselves, their power was still unknown to him yet, He did not know just what they were capable off and more importantly if he could defeat one in battle. Also, it wasn't just maidens that he could be fighting against in the future, but also these silver-eyed warriors that he had seen in Qrows memories. Their magic was focused more on fighting Grimm, but again there was no knowledge as of yet if such magic could be used against him.

Fighting against either one of them could prove to be a disaster if he was unprepared or just wasn't powerful enough to face one for these people. That led to the need to fight in a more proper way that would emphasise just what his magic could do. Countless muggle raised witches and wizards thought that when they got older they could summon a snow storm or devastate an entire army by bringing down hurricanes. They thought only in raw magical power. Where real strength lay, was the application of minor magical spells to give devastating results.

He did not need to call forth storms and earthquakes to kill an army, he simply needed a few basic spells. On an open flat terrain, a few machine guns with certain enchantments could wipe out an entire enemy battalion or division with ease. The best part about it was that the amount of magic expended was relatively minor. Of course, the appearance of several hundred artillery firing non-stop without gunners and with pinpoint accuracy and far more explosive spells didn't look or feel cool as fighting in the middle for a battle, but it was far more lethal.

Salems more powerful Grimm might be able to take a blasting curse, but could they take a never-ending barrage of heavy artillery, anti-tank and anti-air guns. With infinite ammo and enough time, he could easily devastate a creature and if the gun wasn't big enough, then he just needed to get a bigger gun. Transporting such weaponry was not a problem, a few charms to reduce the weight and size of things, apparation to get him there and then a quick assembly charm. In fact, he would likely say that if he had a set of artillery all readymade and enchanted, he could get to anywhere on the planet and start bombarding another place within ten minutes at most with the majority of time being placing the artillery down.

There were already multiple spells besides ones like infinite ammunition that would be devastating. Camouflaging guns so they could not be seen or heard, magically aimed guns and ammunition so they would never miss, a sort of magical radar that would lock onto a target and shoot down anything, the equivalent of mine and flamethrower charms that killed anything hostile that got close.

That was where the true power of his magic lay, support.

The question was where was he going to get such weaponry. Ocean-going ships did carry some more powerful guns, he was sure that he had seen one ship when he was in Menagerie that had what appeared to be a 4inch naval gun that was commonly seen on destroyers back home. So somewhere did produce them, but likely not in large enough numbers to be useful and there wasn't a chance in hell that he could afford to go and buy one.

That left producing them himself. It certainly wasn't impossible, far from it. Creating a magical assembly plant was the easy bit. Most of the things would just be applying an awful lot of simple charms to things to essentially create magical robots. The problems started to emerge in where he was going to get the initial materials from. To create a modern artillery gun he would need steel, rubber, led and gunpowder among other things. Once he had gotten that, he would have to essentially create a large number of magical machines that could do things like placing things together adjusting the sights on a gun as well as putting together the ammunition. Should he work by a blueprint and have all the materials needed, then he could start cranking out artillery guns left and right.

It was the exact same thing with any other muggle device, with the right steps, materials and a blueprint in mind weapons could be produced at an amazing pace. The only reason it hadn't been done, is because there had never been any need to create a magical factory. Wizards didn't use firearms and even if ones in America did, they likely just went down to their local supermarket and bought one alongside a gallon of milk.

Thinking about the supply of weapons in the rest of the world, it did make sense for him to start producing what he could. Realistically he would start small, produce normal firearms and then sell them cheaply into the market. The lack of any workers instantly insured that nearly all the money he made could be coupled back to himself personally. From there he could then start to hire useful people in other industries if he later decided to expand.

There were other gun sellers in the world, alongside the armourers that made and designed weapons. However, the fact was there was only a very small range of weapons that a lot of people paid for, primarily due to a lack of ammunition. Small village blacksmiths could not create enough ammunition for a large group without constantly creating it and stocking up. That left only big business the capability to produce ammunition in large enough quantities for a war.

Speaking of which, that was likely going to be one of the major targets for the White Fang. In a war, factories would be vital to both sides fighting but especially to that of the kingdoms. He wasn't a gunsmith yet, but he was pretty sure it would be easier to produce ammunition that guns itself. Less material was needed for an individual bullet than a gun and could be created by far less experienced hands. The world wars had employed a large amount of the female population to create the bullets, guns, shells and other parts required. These women hadn't likely been in the workforce before so it to be presumed that creating such things as bullets had been their first job.

Once the industry of the kingdoms got going, there was no way that the White Fang could battle with such a huge disparity between population. On the other hand, they could have already started to create their own underground factories hidden from prying eyes. Then again, even if they did, the smart move would be to hinder their enemies capacity to wage war which in this case meant vital supplies of dust, factories and people with the know-how.

Without ammunition, it would force the average soldiers to rely on a bladed weapon. In all likelihood, a fresh soldier from training would stand little chance against a Grimm with only something like a sword in hand. Those chance only became worse when they had to fight against firearms. World War One had demonstrated why exactly you didn't send men rushing towards the enemy.

A hidden factory able to produce even basic firearms and ammunition and not much else could help keep the war in the favour of the kingdoms. Not to mention, that building and selling good reliable cheap weapons could build him a decent amount of cash to live on for the rest of this world and support his other plans for Vytal.

Time was limited, however. His unwillingness to go anywhere near Vale hampered his ability to keep track of what was happening there giving him an unclear time frame. Going by what he was seeing under this mountain though, it was likely he had maybe a few months' before the attack took place and maybe even a few months' after that before the real war began. He frowned. It wasn't a very long period of time to prepare for a war.

He had no experience in making weapons besides conjuring them, no knowledge in how to run a business, not a clue where he was going to have to start gathering weapons and no idea on several other matters. Still, he had to deal with this soon. The faster he produced his first weapon even if it was only basic and maybe even outdated such as an M1 Garand or a Lee Enfield MK4, then the faster he could make weapons and hire someone who did have a clue.

With his mind made up on what else he had to do to help further the cause of the common person in this upcoming war, Nat turned his attention back onto the rest of the people in the cave. He had spent a decent amount of time thinking about how he was going to go around creating weapons and how they would be used to kill these very people that he was sharing a cavern with. Now they had all buggered off into different places committed different pieces of work and getting yelled at by other people.

He didn't need to even start searching for work equipment that he could use, the sounds of heavy machinery going back and forth were entirely easy to hear from any part of the giant cavern. Turning in the direction, Nat nodded slowly to himself as he saw a number of potentially useful vehicles that could be used in the construction of an underground factory.

Magic could be used to hollow out areas but it was time and energy consuming. On the other hand, if he enchanted work vehicles, then they could work all day and night even when he wasn't here. Add in a few golems to act as arms and legs then he had a small workforce.

All sorts of machines were here likely all from when the city had been built several decades ago. Even with the small presence of White Fang members here, he wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't bothered to explore the city that much and instead just grabbed the nearest vehicles. If he looked around the rest of this ruined city, there was bound to be at least one machine or other that was damaged or not noticed. In the case that there weren't any machines that he could take easily, then he would just create a small Rockall and destroy the machines the White Fang were using.

It wouldn't be that much of a surprise would it for rocks to fall down. They were in a giant cavern that had been abandoned and was being drilled into. Honestly, with the lack of support systems he saw that were in place, he was actually surprised that there seemed to have been no casualties at all. A few people might die in such an incident, but they were the White Fang, terrorists nobody outside their little group and families would really give a dam if a few of them were killed by falling debris. He also doubted that Salem would give two shits if a few angry faunus were silenced forever.

Back onto the topic of weapons, that led to another set of actions he was going to take after he had set everything up for factory construction back at home. Should the White Fang attack the factories of the world, then which ones would they target and who would they try to kidnap to force conversion of military equipment.

He doubted Atlas would be where they strike. He had been the one who had forced the attack to reveal who they were and what they were going to do. After that fuck up it was going to be some time before they went for Atlas again. That left Vale which he supposed was the more tactical choice with it being so close to such a big operation and where a lot of dusty was being stolen.

Unfortunately, Vale was out of bounds for him until Ozpin moved out. He agreed with the man that Salem had to be stopped, but that didn't mean he trusted him. That left Vacuo and Mistral. Vacuo was out again because while the place was lawless even if according to Qrow they did have some sort of kindred spirit. More importantly, though they didn't have an industry. Vacuo in his opinion was so undeveloped it made Afghanistan look like Norway.

Mistral was the capital of crime in the world. Failed huntsman, bounty hunters, killers, murders and thieves, all of them were present in Mistrals lower sections of the city. He'd met some of them already when he had visited Pyrrha's family. Taking out the leader of a factory owner there and replacing them under the guise for somebody else was far more prevalent. Pay a person enough in Mistral and the heads would start rolling and someone else would be put in charge. Combined with a powerful black market and it became quite obvious just where to get their weapons from.

The only problem was he needed money to act effectively in Mistral. He could kill the person who was in charge of the factory, but unless he had the money to keep someone else safe in the position as head of the new boss, it meant nothing. The White Fang would also have backup candidates ready to take over any factory they might have in Mistral if one person died.

It was another conundrum, one that he had already had with his other goal of worldwide spying. Both faced the same problem. He lacked the capital needed to seriously support such endeavours. Spies and leaders needed money to keep them afloat. Blackmail could work, but the moment someone scarier came along it was over. On the other hand, magical blood contracts were far more effective. Plus it had the added benefit that if he was paying someone, then they were less likely to betray him as they would lose that income and especially if he could find more trustworthy individuals to work for him.

All in all, it simply pointed in the direction he had to focus his efforts in. Earning a large amount of money was so far his only way of realistically being able to help Ozpin and his lot. Getting that money could be done in a number of ways although some were less of an option than others. He had no desire to rob a bank or anything in that regard. Technically he supposed he was already breaking whatever laws they had back home about weapon manufacturing, but they didn't apply here. On the other hand, going in and stealing someone's money was a law that they had here and one that there was no particular reason to break. Robbing banks would merely gain him unwanted attention and a bad reputation if he ever was to meet Ozpin.

That left the more honest ways of mercenary (Huntsman) work or selling something. Working a 9-5 job wasn't going to earn him anything of use. He needed a large amount of money and he needed it now. His book wasn't a likely candidate as he had no idea on how long it would take for him to finish it let alone edit and then publish it. That resulted in him going back to his newly thought idea of weapons.

That was the only business he could think off that would give him not only the experience he required in creating weapons for the upcoming war but also a product that would be purchased instantly. The question was what gun would he sell?. He doubted he had any schematics for any modern firearms, on the other hand, he should have something from the second world war in which case he was thinking of something like the STG44.

Shaking his head, he returned to his main focus. Choosing the type of gun he first wanted to produce could be thought of later when he actually had the facility to start mass producing guns. In the meantime, it was a simple matter of stealing from White Fang bastards and giving them to him. Drawing his wand, he rapidly moved to a more secure location than where he was right now. With how varied semblances could d be, it was entirely possible that someone might be able to either see through his illusion spells or be able to detect him altogether.

Once that goal had been achieved, he silently then cast a detection charm with heavy machinery in mind. Sure enough, his spell worked instantly and began shooting off some small almost invisible dust could trails that went off in multiple directions. A few of them diverged quickly and heads straight to the machines that the White Fang were currently using whilst others headed into the larger city. He followed the latter ground heading into the unfinished ruins of an underground city.

As he walked through the old abandoned unfinished streets, Nat couldn't help but think back to those old buildings under Edinburgh. It was one of those ghost tours for tourists whose old remaining buildings combined with modern lighting and sound control were supposed to freak the muggle's out. For a Witch or Wizard, on the other hand, the place wasn't scary.

Nearly every witch or wizard who lived in the British Isles had attended Hogwarts when they were younger Because of this, ghosts were no longer a scary thing as they might be when they first show up. They were just dead people who hadn't moved on and could have some interesting tales if one would spend time with them.

This place reminded him of that place because while the feeling of death and despair did still linger here, it felt nowhere near as bad as it did above. It was a common feature in Qrows memories, the remnants of a brand new village or town or centre. It never mattered who built the thing, only that it was another failed attempt. A testament to the power and destructiveness of the Grimm.

Idly he wondered if that would ever happen to his own dreams and desires for Vytal. He was gathering the materials and recourses that would be required to actually build a small village that could grow in the future, but there was still no guarantee that it would ever be able to work. Mountain Glenn had been built upon a mountain and had the backing of the second most powerful kingdom in the world and it still failed. On the other hand, what would Vytal have other than one young wizard who had some ideas and aspirations but no real clue as to how to implement such a thing.

Returning back to the task, he easily apparated past any road blockages there might be until finally, he came across an old abandoned warehouse. Its shutters were closed and with a quick check so was everything else. It had also been situated on top of what he assumed was a hill and while it overlooked a good chunk of the rest of the city, it didn't stand out. Just one more dusty grey building among several others.

Locating the front door was a bit of a challenge, mostly because there wasn't one. The building certainly had the appearance of a warehouse it was big and had that type of metal looking roof hanging above it. All the same, there were no doors of any kind. There was no large shutter door that could be open or closed and no normal humans sized doors that visitors would come and go through. It was just one giant warehouse with no apparent way in or out.

Not wanting to let the White Fang get hold of anything useful in the building, he quickly checked the sides hoping to find some kind of entrance but again there was nothing. Sighing, he stood back and redirected his wand so that it faced the wall. With his wand in position, he cast a cutting charm on the wall. Doing so, thick and deep carved lines appeared in the concrete slicing through it so cleanly and effortlessly that Nat started to be able to see what was inside as the light from the White Fang lamps started to glare in.

There was no thump as the carving finished. Instead, before the concrete was given that chance it was rapidly elevated with a spell and gently leant against the rest of the wall. Casting a lighting charm and then throwing it overhead as if he was fishing, Nat stepped through the man-made hole and entered the old warehouse.

It was a normal warehouse if he were to describe it. A bit dusty a few pieces of metal hanging on the floor and multiple heavy machinery vehicles that had been stored here. Speaking of the machines, it was rather obvious why they had been left in such a condition. They had been beaten battered and bruised so badly it was like they had fought a dragon. Electric Dust was everywhere on the floor having poured out of the machines through large noticeable holes, chunks of metal had been torn off and entire engines had been removed or just left on the side.

Looking through the rest of the warehouse he was easily able to see why there wasn't a front door. A ramp in the far right-hand corner went down likely into some sort of tunnel and come out of the other side. There wasn't just heavy machinery in this place though, he also spotted a few cars and other vehicles. All of them were banged up and had been in the warehouse either for repair or to be scrapped. Neither of it mattered as he quickly began to get to work.

Starting with the heavy machinery first since that was what his priority was, he started shrinking the heavy machines into a more manageable size and then lifted them into his pocket where with the magic they then became weightless. After about ten minutes of magic, his collection included a great many deal of basic machinery vehicles all of which needed a large amount of repair work and a few other smaller more casual vehicles. Looking at the remaining cars, he wouldn't say that they were the best-looking things he'd seen, but he knew that after a certain age, a car started regaining value. With a few licks of paint and a spell or two, he might be able to sell some of these cheaper vehicles off to some collector.

Actually, there was more than just these cars, there were still some wrecks from on top of the mountain. While the White Fang had likely looted some of the possessions left behind, there was still bound to be others that he could take. Cars, dust maybe even weapons. Any remaining weapons he found in the ruins of this old city could give him useful clues on how to develop is own set or weapons.

Other research into the market would be needed. With Grimm as a primary enemy, he supposed that the standard 5.56mm NATO just wouldn't be up to scratch. The 7.62mm sounded like a better choice but to be safe having something larger like an 8mm round sounded better in theory. Then he had to think about what was the best configuration for his rifle.

The Blacksmith had stated that a Bullpup was slightly smaller but he had a feeling that it may not have as many advantages as it was stated to have. Just thinking about where the magazine went in reminded him of the difficulties he had with his own rifle when he had first used it. There were other key issues such as how many types of fire it could give and what was an optimal range.

Again he was forced to return back to the topic at hand. Brushing his hand against his face, he realised that in the short time that he had left Qrow that he had gotten back to his old ways. He spent most of the time in his head and racing from one thought to the other rarely paying much attention to the world around him. It was typical Ravenclaw behaviour.

Not wanting to get distracted yet again as he so easily did, he took a quick tour of the building searching for any more hidden gems that he could take and assist in his newly thought of projects. Luckily at least for his sense of time-saving, there was nothing else to be found in the building. Once his tour was finished he apparated out of the building to the makeshift entrance he had created and then simply reversed what he had done. The chunk of concrete flew back into place sealing itself with the rest of the wall leaving it entirely flat. When someone did eventually make their way into this old building, they would find nothing other than some pieces of rusty metal to meet them.

Wanting to get away quickly so he could start on more interesting projects, he cast a spell pointing in the directions of any firearms. Following them on foot to collect the guns personally so as not to create any suspicion with the White Fang that may be spying on the area, the young wizard quickly broke into the houses of a lot of dead people and snatched up their guns and ammunition.

A few of the guns had been left lying around in the open. Of those, a few looked like they had been placed down and never picked up, some more he had to pry from the dry bones of murdered people. He could tell they were murdered for the most part by the sheer fact that they had bullet-sized holes in some of their bones or in worse scenarios where the bone had simply obliterated part of the bone. One gun he took had made him curious. It was pried from the bones of a young child, no older than six who had been laying on the ground. Large gouge marks were in their neck bone and the weapon itself had been held limply. Further back what he had assumed to be the parents were in worse states with one having their leg ripped off and the other having their entire skull caved in.

When he analyzed the scene he could only imagine what they were feeling in their final moments. Fear, horror, guilt, anger, all of them made sense to him yet to be so defenceless to see where they had failed in their role as protectors was a peculiar thing. Why hadn't they run away? Either the parent or the children.

Adrenaline forced people to do stupid things and fear also prevented such actions yet one would like to think that if they saw that a person they loved was lost in such a situation that they would run. Merlin knows if he and Qrow had come across such a powerful Grimm that couldn't be defeated and Qrow was being attacked to certain death that he would run away for his life. Apparate away and hide in some remote corner likely repressing all bad memories until the day he died. So why hadn't they run?

It wouldn't have done much for them, surely they would have been killed by some other Grimm and if the creatures of darkness didn't take them, then either disease, hunger, dehydration, injury or murder would have. But why hadn't they run?. Were the connections between a family that strong that it would overwrite the logical choice. Was loyalty to parents or child that was going to die really so important? They were just people, they were going to die at one point or another.

It wasn't them he thought if it was then it wouldn't have been the first time he saw such a scenario as he passed from house to house, looting like a poor man for whatever possessions people had once owned. It was him, his lack of social grace was why he was unable to see the reason for such an action. As much as he acted and tried to behave like any other person, he knew that he wasn't just another bloke and he knew he never would be.

He had made his priorities all those years ago and while it may have led to his current scenario of being trapped on another world, it was also why he was able to survive here. He could only imagine where he would be if he didn't have his attitude had he still landed on Remnant. Maybe in crime robbing banks where he would likely get killed at one point or another or perhaps as some lab experiment in Atlas's labs. For all, he knew he could have been Grimm food or recruited by Salem. Perhaps he might have become one of Ozpins little puppets showcasing his magic to the world and doing everything that the man old said. He seriously hoped that had that been the case that he did not start singing we're off to see the wizard.

As he moved from house to house, one thing became ever more prevalent. People had no way of defending themselves against the Grimm. An average man or woman might be able to kill a few lesser beowolves perhaps even an Ursa but against the more powerful Grimm they had no chance. They neither had the skill and experience to fight such creatures or the weaponry to help compensate.

People here still used bloody longbows and crossbows as their primary weapons when they had firearms. Honestly, he didn't see much point to using such outdated weapons when they had access to any type of firearm really. Back home archery began to be abandoned not only because of the time and effort that is required to be decent but also because of the stopping power. Armour had gotten very good at rebuffing attacks. Only when muskets and rifles began to be produced in decent numbers did it become clear that they were the best tools of the trade for dealing with such impressive armour and was why the nobility hated guns. With a musket the common soldier could easily pick and kill their target at a further range then most knights could comfortably fight. As time went on guns became far more powerful.

So why use bloody arrows? He knew this world had access to modern firearms. That one girl from Vale who had been part of the Vale championships had brought out a fucking minigun out of a small handbag. How that was even possible without the application of dust, aura or magic he had no clue other he was dam sure that physics did not work like that.

Was it that much effort to simply briefly hire a huntsman to show a blacksmith how to forge a basic rifle and ammunition? How many peoples lives could have been saved if the average person who lived outside the protection of the kingdoms had access to a firearm.

Dear Merlin, he was sounding like an American Republican. He supported strict gun control, but that was home where there wasn't a threat of evil black creatures that roamed the night eating kids for fun. He had lived ins a safe civilized place where while there were some incredibly dangerous political decisions being made.

Here people needed guns. A pilot needed a gun if he crashed while making a journey. A ship captain needed a gun to not only shoot grim but also to fend off pirates. The average village citizen needed a gun to fight back bandits and Grimm. The Police also needed guns as everyone here was potentially superpowered and unlike at home where a shot to the head will kill someone, it would instead merely hurt them. People needed guns and nobody had bothered to give anyone them.

It was rather stupid that the major manufacturers of the world had never bothered to craft a relatively cheap gun that they could sell to the smaller villages of the world. If it was designed with ruggedness and simplicity in mind then they would make a decent amount. The other advantage of selling weapons to small villages would be that the weapon would be regularly tested allowing for any mistakes to be quickly notified and dealt with.

Thinking about it gave him more relief. There was seemingly an untapped market for guns, one that he could take for himself if he created the right device. And it wasn't just money that he could ask for in return for weapons. While a village may be able to pay for a few guns with what measly amount of cash they could pull together, information was worth far much more and far easier to give.

He wouldn't ask for agents to be sent around the world like something out of a James Bond film. All that would be required from them would be to report the odd goings-on, rumours of dust shipments being hit, large formations of Grimm and more importantly the location of the White Fang. If the terrorists wanted to hide in the forests, jungles, deserts and other places in the world, then that was fine.

He wasn't going to start something like a Vietnam war to go after them with guns blazing, flamethrowers roaring and bombs dropping incessantly night and day. All he needed was one innocent report that could never be traced back to him with magic and then he would be there. If the situation was nothing then it mattered not. His theoretical magical construction crew allowed him to take time away from building guns personally and instead delegate it to those more suitable.

With any luck, he may even gain a positive reputation with those he worked with. He doubted he would be called anything like a hero, but access to a good firearm was bound to be appreciated. A thought occurred to him, not now as that would take far more time, but if in the future he had the capability to produce more than just weapons then perhaps he could also sell villages medicine. It wasn't a definite, there were bound to be strict protocols back home when it came to making medicine, however, he doubted that the people of cut off villages would care that much.

To them, the villagers would only see a businessman who was offering quality drugs at a low price. Would they care about what the White Fang was fighting for if they were the enemies of a person who gave them something they needed for their very survival?

It was incredibly easy to tote the similarities of people when that person had access to the basics.

Wasn't that what his own country and the US had tried to do when the US had gone and invaded country after country?. Give the small kid a chocolate bar or a football making them smile with glee and give off the impression that they were not here to harm the average citizen.

Building his spy network in the villages outside of the kingdoms had both it;'s advantages and it disadvantages. On one hand, it allowed him to start small, see what people needed and how they needed. Any reports he would get would likely be small and unassuming with perhaps the odd gathering of a few Grimm. A tutorial as it were, small and easy to maintain or at least he thought so compared to building up a city network. His agents were likely also far safer in that they would not have to worry about other spies or agents knocking at their door during the night were they are never seen again.

On the other, village information was hardly going to be that useful compared to what he needed in a city. Anything big was going to happen in cities, powerful people, locations of supplies, top-secret information, gathering of troops, new technology. Cities were going to be the catalyst and that was where he needed to get his information from. He would receive information that he could not get from villages stuck in the hinterlands of some abandoned island and he also couldn't build up the loyalty of a group of spies so quickly in such a place.

Out in the villages, they may be naive enough to believe that a person only wanted some small information with a burning desire to help. In cities, they were going to raise an eyebrow to ask what you wanted and then negotiate the deal for quite a while. There was also a far higher chance of being betrayed in cities and his presence being revealed.

Then there was Ozpin and Salem.

Both of them likely had an extensive spy network ranging from both in the cities of humanity as well as into the barbaric lands outside the vaunted kingdoms. He had to be careful with the spies he took and the illusion he held. If reports reached them of him even by rumour then there was going to be a terrible price to pay. Unless he made a show out of it.

Taking a fake name and appearance was easy enough and he had several accents from back home he could use to make him sound from a distant place. Still, he would need a more permanent disguise, one that people were more willing to trust. Warm and likeable yet with an air of power to him. Friends would flock to him with excitement and enemies would speak his name in fear.

The only problem was he was no Dumbledore. That man had been a Great. In the time that he had since arrived on Remnant, Dumbledore would have met with Ozpin and stared him down over a pot of tea and they would have joined forces with one another. Or that was what he thought, he'd never met the dead man and there was no way to. Anyone with enough common sense knew that the Deathly Hallows were a Myth. Seriously conversing with the dead, as if magic wasn't already terrifying enough at times.

All the same, he was no Dumbledore, he was both too young, and not powerful enough not to mention the lack of wisdom and experience that he had was rather prominent. Instead, Remnant was stuck with him and in return, he would do his best to not doom everyone to a hellish future.

With everything of value from the buildings now in his pocket and the same of the abandoned city above, he apparated.

If this world was to resist Tyranny, then it needed guns and a lot of them.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 20**

Anima

The sounds of children playing echoed through the relatively young village, they bobbed and weaved through a myriad of items whether that be jumping on top of a box of crates, swinging around on a piece of rope or one kid being so brave as to ring the bell in the centre multiple times. Elsewhere in the small village as children ran around paying and proclaiming that one of them was the huntsman that was going to catch the evil Grimm, the adults went about their day with a warm smile on their face grateful for what little they had. Some of them were working at a forge as they created the much-needed metal supplies that kept the village working, necessary when a village was as isolated as their's was, others created pottery or tanned some leather. The villagers weren't rich, but they weren't cut off, occasionally the odd huntsman would stumble into their little village and stay a few days giving a much-needed cash injection.

Currently, the residents of the village paid no attention to Nat as he watched from the edge of the village leaning casually against one of the recently built wooden shacks that they called houses. His purpose here was simple, he was waiting for a sect of White Fang Terrorists to arrive. Just a few days prior he had intercepted and read the minds of a few white Fang stragglers to discover what they knew about wider plans and most vitally if they knew anything that related to the large train hidden under Mountain Glenn. They hadn't, but what he had noticed was that this small little village was used as a meeting hub for members of the White Fang.

The civilian populace was unaware of it which was good as it ensured their innocence in the matter, but even then if they had of known as they were kept quiet due to threats then he would have laid no blame on them. If he wanted to create the spy network he so desperately needed, then the last thing he needed was to start burning down entire villages simply because they had sided with the enemy. That was the thing he was trying to stop.

However, there was a more important reason as to why he was spying on this White meeting point and that was for him to be able to pinpoint some key crucial info in the White Fang military structure. This operation that he had not bothered to name was designed for him to learn exactly who was providing the White Fang with their weapons and from there deal with the supplier.

He had come to the conclusion that someone was supplying the White Fang rather quickly and that was simply due to the uniformity of not only their uniforms but also their weapons and masks. Very few individuals held their own actual personal weapons and those that did he had noticed seemed to have a higher rank in the White Fang or were put in more specialised teams. As for the other's, the grunts of the White Fang or more realistically, the cannon fodder, they all used the same type of sword, the same type of jumped up pistol, and the same rifle weapon.

This type of uniformity not only gestured towards a decent amount of cash backing the terrorists up but also that they had at some point or another a connection to the weapon manufacturer. Most likely, they had a deal with someone in the black market to purchase weapons, but that person had their own connections and if he kept going up the chain far enough he was bound to find someone who was giving illegal access.

More importantly, however, he was after something more valuable then destroying the supply of White Fang weapons, he was after a weapon designer, not that he had expected any different. His thoughts had changed a bit since when he had first thought of creating his own set of weapons back at Mount Glenn. Creating a modern weapon was far more complicated then he had initially thought with his mind based on the fact that young kinds were seemingly able to make then im combat schools.

Sure he knew he could possibly design one with time, but that could take months. After all, he had no experience with making firearms himself and would prefer to get practical experience. That experience would come in the only direction he knew, and that was to start creating basic firearms like muskets and use the experience in metal-craft to boost his skills and slowly develop up the long chain of weaponsmithing. The problem was, that while creating something like a musket would be relatively simple due to its design of mostly being a metal barrel with some wood attached, modern firearms were far more complicated.

He'd seen the odd picture here and there of a modern rifle taken apart, and there were so many pieces. That was the main hiccup he had ran into, muskets only had a few parts, and were rather simple to create however if he wanted to create something like a spring that he had seen many modern guns have, then he needed to actually know how to change the shape of the strong, what the quality of the metal was, how long it had to be heated and to what a degree, as well as it's length and the amount of pressure it could take. And that was just one part, there were also things like the trigger, the barrel of the gun, The weight of the gun, the size of the magazine that went into the weapon, Things like those bars that allowed attachments, or how the barrel size affected recoil.

All of it could be worked out that was certain, but he didn't have countless days to work out the manufacturing kinks of every single piece and how they fit together. And even if after trial and error he got the pieces the right size, when he finally put them together it could end up in a disaster or the weapon could just be outright shit and all that time and effort could have been useless.

All of that though relied solely on him having an idea of what the actual blueprints of a weapon would be like, something he didn't exactly have. Designing modern high tech weapons just wasn't exactly what his school education had covered in class and was again why he was facing ht need to find a person who did know what they were doing. Therefore whilst his main objective was to discover just who was supplying the White Fang, his other goal was to see just who he could contact with a decent amount of experience that he could hire to work for him.

As for paying the man, he had changed his initial plan of a few huntsman contracts to something far more lucrative. Gold. This world had never been exploited to even a fraction that Earth had been simply due to a lack of population that left this world teeming with natural resources that only had to be extracted. And it just wasn't gold, silver, bronze, copper, iron, platinum and likely any other rare metal on earth was bound to be discovered in this world just waiting for some lucky person to hunt it down and start a vast mining operation.

What was even better, was that unlike creating modern weapons that required large amounts of knowledge to know how modern gun's let alone anything more high tech worked, all he needed to mine gold was a pickaxe, a bowl with some holes in it and a metric fuck ton of explosives. Already he had found a few deposits and started to put up mines with a few golems left to defend and mine the resources. It wasn't enough to make him a multimillionaire or something, only the bare effort had been placed in as of this moment, but with a few days, he was sure he could likely tempt someone into working for him and then it was a case of expanding operations.

Honestly, it truly was a wonder why apparently no Witch or Wizard had done this type of thing before him, seriously in the colonial era they could have made ridiculous amounts of cash and especially in South Africa where they could have potentially even stripped entire mines down to nothing. Then again, such an action likely would have angered the muggle government and damaged relations not to mention decimate both economies with such vast sums of rare metals.

That was something he was going to make sure he didn't do, his wealth in natural resources would only remain so long as he didn't crash the market or send just too much into the world market. For all he knew, just adding a small amount could capitulate the world economy and cause an economic recession, only adding to Salem's advantages. He doubted it would occur with only a small amount, yet all the same, he needed to ensure that he didn't squander the wealth he could earn in this world preparing for war before it had even begun.

It was a risk he would have to take all the same. Whether he crashed the economy or not a war was coming and that meant the Grimm in their hoards. He severely doubted the common person would be concerned with a crashed economy when they were doing all that they possibly could to survive and it gave him all the more reason to succeed in this world, to defend it from those who would see it destroyed.

Now that he was stuck here on, this world so different to his own, it was now his responsibility just as it was anyone else's to ensure that the world kept turning, that children kept playing in the streets blissfully unaware of the dangers that lurked outside the village, that people could meet and become friends or something more or even more clichéd things that almost made his blood curdle at the sappiness of it.

However, that was neither here nor there instead he peacefully watched as the village went about its business. It was yet one more example of the resilience of humanity, to actually create a village without the need for proper defences where they could be struck at by Grimm or by bandits at any time was not a place that he would like to reside in. Sure it was a pretty and relaxing sight, a nice place to visit on holiday to get away from all the trappings of life but still his mind was constantly more active as his thoughts kept focusing on the Grimm and his eyes out towards the edge of the village.

Those people who had made this small out-of-the-way village their home hadn't been stupid, at some point or another that had committed a decent amount of effort to improving the defences and were gifted with a relatively thick wooden palisade wall. It ringed the entire town with a total of two entrances and exits located on opposite ends. They had even gotten creative with the walls managing to furnish actual gate houses on both ends and extra walls that jutted out both forwards and backwards enabling the defence of the city to be held by a total of three gates each. On the actual walls, they were thick enough that the villagers actually manned them like a castle, there were battlements to defend the walls and matriculations to fire beneath at attacking opponents. According to the minds he had seen, they were built over time when one villager or other visited an old town now ruin and saw a stone defence and decided to copy it.

It was a good thing too as the defences while rudimentary had managed to stave off Grimm attacks, well at least against the smaller weaker ones. Should something like a Gryphon, Manticore or more frighteningly Nuckaleeve attack, then these small defences would act as nothing but a cage for the Grimm to allow their human meals to grow and fatten before the slaughter, just like chickens were to humans.

It was nice to see all the same, like he had gone back in time when the first castles were constructed, the old Mott and baileys, they just didn't exist back home having all been destroyed hundreds of years ago due to weather. It almost made him sad to think that such a valuable skill and set of architecture had been entirely forgotten back home, a relic of an older era, romanticised with time and held a different purpose to what many people thought of them were. He knew they'd be impractical, but he had always found that modern architecture with it's towering structures and glass windows to be so truly dull and boring without any zest or zeal to them, they were nothing but large see-through corpses.

Sighing to himself, Nat stared at the two entrances into the village his eyes occasionally switching between the two making sure that he did not miss the entrance of anyone new to the village. If the White Fang were using this remote village to meet up, then he wouldn't be surprised if they entered in more civilian clothes and did their best to hide their animal features. This village wasn't devoid of faunus, he could see a wolf faunus happily hammering on a sword as he apprenticed for a blacksmith whilst a monkey girl instead walked across the village with crates in her hand transporting them from one place to another, however, the vast majority were human.

It only raised more questions, but he supposed he could get answers when he located the terrorist and took action against them, for now, though it was simply a case of waiting for them to eventually arrive whilst he stayed in one spot and read one of his many books.

"Who are you?" Resisting the urge to sigh irritatingly, Nat kept his head downwards towards his kindle and carried on reading as if he hadn't just been accosted by a strange individual, nobody was going to interrupt his private reading time. "I asked you a question and I expect you to answer it" The girl spoke in a threatening manner as she narrowed her cerulean coloured eyes onto him in a cautious manner.

"And may I ask just why you're threatening to impale me with a knife?" He spoke calmly his eyes still outwardly focusing on the books, however, he made a very clear note of just who this girl was and what she was doing.

"You haven't answered my question" The girl repeated in a harsher manner than before while her eyes fixed balefully on the weapons that Nat had equipped on him. Nat hid his frown as he allowed himself another quick glance at the girl, her stance was strong and her muscles stronger, she didn't wear any type of particularly heavy armour, more like what Pyrrha wore, a single silver coloured chest plate that fortunately covered all of her chest and stomach, short set of pauldrons on her shoulders that barely covered them, a set of small vambraces on her wrists alongside a set of greaves for her lower legs and a roman empire designed looking battle skirt thing while a silver looking crown thing sat on top of her head. The armour was very apparently suited for the warmer temperate climate of where they were located currently in Solitas but not so much suited to the colder extremes of Atlas or even Vale.

More vital to his assessment though, was the set of weaponry the girl sported. Unlike what Pyrrha had utilised when she had continually proceeded to knock him on his ass every time they had fought against one another in melee combat with a sword-rifle-spear weapon and a shield, this girl in front of him seemingly only sported one main weapon, a rather sharp silver bow on her back and a few throwing knives that were held in a small belt on her waist. Turning back onto the wickedly sharp bow and it's somewhat peculiar design, he figured that the bow likely transformed into a different weapon through which one he couldn't tell.

"Yes because I'm going to answer the question of a crazy girl who is threatening to impale me with a piece of sharp metal." Though he answered in a dry sarcastic manner, Nat's eyes flickered around him attempting to find the best way out of this situation that would not result in him getting skewered. Apparation might work, however going by that cold sharp look that would pierce into the soul of less resilient people informed him that any sudden movement would result in him getting stabbed.

"Most generally would, and those who don't soon start begging that they wish they had when they're on the floor begging"

"Oh so you're into BDSM," Nat said casually taking silent amusing as the girls face flashes in unrestrained anger. "I'm afraid to tell you that I have no interest in sex or relationships whatsoever, therefore if you're looking for someone to satisfy your kinks, then you need to find someone else. Perhaps the blacksmith's apprentice over there".

Only years of experience in the duelling ring gave him the experience to narrowly avoid getting skewered by the girl's dagger, pushing himself backwards, he was ever grateful for that raining as he saw the sharp piece of silver metal whistle past his skull in slow motion. He had no time to watch it carry on flying however as moments later he had to repeat the process by throwing himself on the ground as two more throwing knives nearly struck him down. The last he had no chance of dodging in time.

With a shriek, metal grinded against metal as he yanked out his sabre, in his right hand and brought into the air striking the next dagger with a ringing sound that echoed in the area and then followed by a loud thunk to the right as the dagger smashed into one of the old shacks that the villagers called houses. There was no time for him to follow the blade as he might have if he were in some kind of film as immediately after, another set of daggers followed flying through the air with the express purpose ass to strike him down and take his life from him.

Clanging loudly as his sabre struck these knives and deflected them away from himself, Nat was very happy that he had taken the extra training that Qrow had given him all this time. Fighting with a blade was far more tricky then it was with a wand and one of the biggest reasons for that he was discovering was that with a wand it was simply a case of erecting a full body shield, not actually striking the actual item so quickly.

He was given no respite however and instead was just able to roll to the side into a straight up position as three arrows quickly smashed into the ground just where he had been standing. Rushing towards him, the girl swung her bow menacingly using the sharp ends that he knew must be some kind of curved daggers to slice his head off. Bending his head low, avoiding the piece of sharpened metal as it whistled mere few centimetres from his nose, he brought his sabre up to clang against the other sharpened end of the bow blocking it from making a sweep at his legs.

"Any particular reason you're attempting to kill me?" He asked as his sabre again deflected another blow this time it was aimed towards his stomach the girl apparently wanting to make a fillet out of him. The girl didn't answer instead pressing her attack with her bow unleashing a quick set of flurries' aimed for the head and arms, hoping to catch him unaware and disarm him so she could give the killing blow.

Unknown to her, as she dealt a well time and perfected disarming technique, pushing her opponent's hand in such a way that the pressure would force him to open his hand, the sword simply stayed attached to Nat's hand as if it had been glued there. Taking advantage of her momentary surprise, Nat brought his hand back into position and this time made his first offensive strike, aimed towards the neck. The girl was faster bringing her own bow to block the blow only as she did so, Nat reached around to his side with his left hand and drew his pistol levelling it at her and firing off a single shot.

Experience with her people had taught the girl was as with a single gesture, her silvery bow split into two pieces, and blocked the followed up blow of Nat's sabre alongside the bullet that had been fired from the pistol.

With a ring screaming past his right ear as he evaded the first swing of her left wickedly sharp dagger as it glimmered in the sunlight, Nat drew upon the aura he had in his body using it to enhance his physical strength and then channelled it towards his legs, launching himself mightily off the ground back flipping several metres into the sky. Mid backflip, he brought his blade down deflecting two more arrows as they threatened to impale him and attempted to unleash his own response by firing off his pistol.

Three shots were unleashed, and all went wild of their target indicating to the girl below of his inexperience with this type of combat. Giving off a grin, she loaded her bow up with a total of fierce arrows all at the same time and with a casual grace that not even the greatest professional archers back on Earth could match and unleashed them with pinpoint accuracy.

The first three collided with the already fired bullets slicing straight through them slicing in them half like a cleaver through meat and kept flying onwards impaling a tree in the distance behind Nat. The next was aimed directly towards the young wizard's skull exactly between the eyes and ready to crunch through bone and annihilate his brain. Just as she expected he would, Nat drew up his blade to meet the arrow unable to move his head in any direction and evade the arrow, restricted he was with his lack of experience with this level of acrobatics in his combat. The fifth and final arrow unhindered by the blade that had blocked the forth struck true as enhanced with fire, ice and lightning in a special aura devastating blow smashed into the black-t-shirt exactly where the heart laid.

With a resounding crash of thunder that bellowed all throughout the village, lightning sparked in a magnificent glowing purple crackling towards the sky's seemingly threatening to crack the very heavens itself, whilst ice poured over the area encasing everything within a three metre radius in a frigid prison, finally, coalescing into one big ball of blazing inferno, fire rocketed outwards from the blast zone eviscerating anything within a five-metre radius in the air, blasting back air, in a shockwave that shattered a few nearby windows.

She stood there, her bow in hand with a serious but slight smirk on her face, as the clouds of dust still enraptured the area and waited for one of only two options. The first was that the strange boy was she desired would be nothing but pieces of a corpse flying everywhere and decorating the nearby vicinity, the second was that his aura was just large enough to keep him alive but severely hindered enabling her to then slowly march up to him and take the final shot whenever she so desired.

It was as well, he had been below her initial assessment, all show and hardly any ability. Had he been a huntsman or a person who had spent enough time out in the open area, then he could carry on the fight and would have done so already. Instead she had seen it in the first few seconds, he was trained to a certain extent at the same level that the mid-years of those vaunted combat schools in the kingdoms boasted off, the ones before huntsman schools where they only trained kids were, but he wasn't of an ability to do much against her.

As the dust cleared, she waited with a bred expression wondering slightly what the result was going to be. Just as the last main dust cloud settled ad a grin grew on her face as she realised there was no full body, she froze in place.

"What?" Her voice mumbled as her entire body moved against her own volition, her arms smacked against her side her palms open and her feet also clenched together while her skull was forced to face forward at eye level. Her finger stretched open into an open palm dropping her blow against her will where it then crashed into the ground and then she felt gravity take her as he body simply fell forwards unable to be held up. Clenching her eyes tightly, she grunted as the hard stone floor of the village impacted her head, though luckily her aura protected her from any harm.

"No" She would have yelled if she could move her lips however much to her own quickly enveloping horror she discovered that she could not move those either. Dread filled her entire being and her mind raced with all types of thoughts, she felt her skin begin to grow cold and would she able to, she would have shaken in terror. Then the voice resounded, younger than hers and had only recently deepened yet it was the same voice as the one that belonged to the one she was sure she had killed.

"Now that we've sorted out the un-pleasantries, perhaps we can discuss our current state of relations like civilized beings of two different sentient races." Unable to spit at the ground or even clench her face in anger as her eyes simply stared into the light grey stone beneath her, the girl only felt her anger boil in her veins and fury bubble up in her stomach as she thought of how she was going to make this boy suffer. Suddenly though she didn't know why she then felt her face seemingly let go of its tight rigidness and she felt her mouth and lips able to move.

"Fuck you" She swore loudly scowling as best she could whilst her eyes locked onto a set of ants beneath her.

"How eloquent" Nat responded dryly.

"When I get out of this I'm going to shove my arrows so hard up your pathetic male ass that you're going to beg for mother while you shit blood all over the place" Shaking his head, at the remark the girl had made, he gave a quick glance around the village and hid his irritated look. Though the battle had been short, the consequences of such a thing were apparent to see. Some of the roads had been destroyed, parts of houses blasted away and what appeared to be a food storage place was now blazing away as villagers sprinted all over from the village buckets of water in their hands in an attempt to solve the situation.

Taking advantage of this situation, Nat subtly cast a not notice-me charm, instantly resulting in the occasional stern gaze that had been directed towards him and this girl away and back onto the trouble of a burning building. Then once all of that was done, he bent down quickly, gently touching the hem of the girl's neck and apparated away.

"Ugh" The girl's face went pale as her head slammed down into the ground, her stomach felt like nothing she had ever felt before, twisting, turning, and the contents in her stomach were churning like sour milk threatening to crawl up the contents of her throat and launch itself onto the floor. With great struggle, however, she resisted the urge to vomit less her face be covered in the stuff or even worse, let this disgusting pig take satisfaction in seeing her in a state of further weakness.

"Okay now that we aren't at risk of burning down another house, would you care to answer some questions for me?" Despite his calm tone, there was no missing the certainty as Nat with a feather-light touch moved the tip of his sabre from the open air until it pressed ever so gently against the nape of the girl threatening to impale and make her a corpse should she attempt anything.

"Fuck you, you and the rest of your pathetic ilk are nothing but disgusting pathetic pigs. If you dare try to bring that pathetic revolting thing between your legs anywhere near me, I will bite it fucking off and then you can explain to the rest of your pathetic dipshit friends as to why you can't violate women anymore." The girl yelled at the top of her voice so loud that if it weren't for a hastily erected barrier, she likely would have alerted somebody nearby to run towards her and come to the rescue. Of course what the girl didn't know was that though Nat asked her questions openly, he already knew everything there was to know. He was simply doing this because until one of his little sentry spells alerted him to a member of the White Fang, it was something entertaining for him to do as well as practice in interrogation techniques in the potential eventuality that for whatever reason a person could detect legimency or simply be immune to it.

"Are you quite finished with your ranting yet?" Whether it was his years of experience in Ravenclaw that while he didn't spend too much time socialising, the time he did was always long drawn out talks that could last hours as they thought about the mysteries of one thing or another, or simply because he was thirsty, Nat pulled out his cup of tea fresh and warm as ever and began drinking.

"I swear to you when I get out of this mess, I will impale your head on a spike but before that I will slash your chest open and strangle you with your own innards, I will drown you in your own blood and then use it to bathe myself, I will flay you alive and I will find your relatives and send them your cut of cock and laugh as they scream" The girls voice turned bloodthirsty as she then continued to make up multiple punishments of how she would punish the wizard for all the transgressions he had committed against her, some Nat noted were quite imaginative as well as other were bizarre. Seriously, slowly dropping him feet first into a cauldron of scolding water where she would then throw grim piranha, one would have thought that the scolding water would have killed them before they even made him suffer. This ranting and screaming and yelling carried on for a while longer until eventually, Nat heard her voice start to crack entirely unused to speaking for so much in such a period of time.

"So, if you're willing to not continuously scream in my face, I will be willing to set you on a chair to answer the questions. How does that appeal to you?" Without a second thought, Nat stepped away from the angry yelling girl from beneath him and instead simply allowed his blade to stay remaining where it was with but a simple spell. In the meantime, he conjured some temporary wooden walls around himself, they wouldn't last that long, but it would do the trick. This was followed by a roof a floor and some light furniture to go around it, quickly he took the nice comfortable leather seat and put his legs up and got back to reading his kindle.

"Fuck you, I will never allow a man to tell me what I can and what I can't have. All you people are raping bastards, you go around to innocent villages, slaughtering and raping, burning and pillaging and those whose lives you don't destroy you leave to the Grimm as food. So no I won't accept your offer, just know that if you even attempt to rape me I will-"

"Yes, yes, you've made your point quite clear." Nat replied without seemingly a care in the world "Should I attempt to touch you in any regard let alone attempt to rape you then you shall make my life a living hell until I

finally beg for death, yadda, yadda. But the fact remains, that as much as you may dislike your current arrangements, that you are at my mercy and I could have this blade at your neck end your life at any time that I so choose." With a quick flick of his fingers, he commanded the blade to press slightly harder on the nape of the girl's neck. Now instead of the girl just feeling a slight tickle that continually irritated her like a rash that wouldn't go away, the cool and magically enhanced sharpness could be felt as could the real threat.

"Then why don't you? Are you a coward? Is the big bad man afraid to hit a girl?" Though she teased him, that once pure rage tone of the girl faltered quite substantially, her voice was raised still, there was a shudder in her words and a quick examination charm informed the wizard that the girls heartbeat had significantly increased.

"Under usual circumstances, I would have already ended your life," Nat said with such a calm coolness that the girl felt a shiver run up her spine as her entire body felt like it began to freeze over. "Believe me when I say, that had I wished to end you, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. However, I don't particularly feel like killing today, so I spared your life." The girl wanted to scoff, but something ran through her, not the typical coolness that she had heard from her sisters that they felt when they were so close to death or worse fates, but rather a freezing blizzard that racked her entire body, holding her still against her will as wolves prowled around her wither red eyes gleaming in the pitch black night, worse then any Grimm. Dread began to fill her entire thoughts and her breath laboured rapidly as her mind filled with flashes of destruction from so long ago. "On the other hand, I won't hesitate.

She found no words to answer, the blizzard raged on, and the flashes in her mind caused her entire body to shiver in terror and panic, howls of beowolves became louder and the agonising screech of that monster struck her mind true. Soon it was all she could think about, when she was a child, the nightmare, the horror, the pure panic that had filled her up, anger tried to well up ion her, but it was simply quashed under the overwhelming pressure of fear.

Then as if she was standing on a frozen lake, the ice beneath her cracked and she fell through only to awaken to the sight of white snow in front of her eyes as her body pressed across the ground. Her skin felt clammy, drained of energy and the anger she wanted to direct at this thing pressing a blade against her neck, vanished entirely as only survival controlled her actions.

"Now if you're quite finished with your apparent onset panic attack, perhaps we can get to the more civilised manner of debate called discussion." And then it was gone, the sudden chill that had raged inside of her threatening to swallow her whole was gone, instead replaced with a calm yet warm atmosphere as if she was back with her sisters, in their tents as they laughed and joked around the campfire. Had she been able to, then the girl would have whipped her head around her surroundings in an attempt to locate the sudden change in atmosphere.

"What- woah" Before she could carry on speaking the girl felt her self physically lift off the floor against her very will. Her body stayed rigidly still, yet she felt the slight amount if cool air rush past her face as she was levitated off the floor, span around so that her head now gazed upwards to a wooden ceiling. From there, she was quickly moved to another seat, her body changing its shape as she did so until she was placed in a more comfortable position with her arms and legs on either side of the seat. "Hey" She called out as all of a sudden bars of metal sprang out of the seat and wrapped around her arms and legs, pinning her to the chair preventing her from moving them in any meaningful direction. Just as she was about to complain though, the stern rigidness that her body had felt instantly evaporated allowing her to move her body left and right as momentarily she struggled to break free.

Calling upon her aura, she felt it slide down into her body, calming and warming her like a warm meal in the chilliest of winter nights. Commanding that aura, she syphoned it off towards her arms and legs strengthening them to the point that she could achieve incredible feats of strength, speed, agility and other things as she had done so many time before and pushed. She felt herself strain against the restraints as nothing gave way, no sound, no crack, no feeling of the pieces even reacting to her weight or strength at all. They were impervious to anything she could throw at it, not even when she used a rare technique channelled by her teacher into her hand pouring the energy and unleashed a devastating blast that would disintegrate the head of a King Taijitsu.

Nothing happened she stared at the bars of metal that restrained her very body, there wasn't a single mark or dent on them, they were entirely fine as if they had just come from the forge. There was nothing she could do, every time she made an attempt to squeeze out of the restraint's they simply closed around tighter to the point that she was much to her dread starting to lose feeling in her fingers.

"Is it seriously that difficult to remain calm and have a simple conversation, or am I to believe that you were born in a land of savages," Nat said in a bored manner as he flicked the next page in his book, the book had anyone asked him, was about a fictional British Battleship in the Second World War called HMS Conqueror which in this books universe was a ship designed and built after secret plans of the Yamato were brought to bare of the Yamato class Battleship. As of right now, the ship had been sent to destroy the Gneisenau which was raiding ships in the south Atlantic nearby the Falkland Islands.

"I'm the savage? I'm not the one who kidnapped a girl and tied them to a chair likely to be used as some kind of sex slave for your pathetic perverted desires" The girl rebuked angrily, had she been able to, she would have jolter her wrists up, however, all she achieved was an increase in pressure. Holding the upper hand on the current matter, Nat simply kept his eyes on the book ensuring that he paid no notice to the girl increasing her anger even further.

"And I'm not the one who attacked a stranger for no apparent reason, Miss-" The girl scowled at him from his position doing he best to take her thoughts away from the knowledge, that she could feel her aura draining from her body as it prevented inevitable and irrevocable damage to her hands if she did not escape.

"I won't tell you my name you pathetic pig, men are nothing but a disgusting race who only care about violence, killing, and sex. When my clan learns what's happened to me, they will come for me and then you'll be sorry" The girl warned darkly as she began to imagine all the pain and torment that her capturer would endure for such a hostile and corrupt act.

"Sweet Merlin it's like I'm in fucking California again. Hated that place" Nat muttered under his breath as he gave the girl a bored look, the girl heard him not that he particularly cared and continued glare at him as if he was some kind of monster which was threatening to do unspeakable horrors to her. Then again considering her life story up to now he would likely do the same.

"California" The girl cried out angrily. "Is that where this place is, a location for you and the rest of you male pigs to run the daily lives of innocent women and demand that they do everything you demand them to." Nat rolled his eyes however it only caused the girls anger to spike once more. "Why don't you let me out, afraid of the small defenceless little girl" She teased in an irritating childlike voice hoping to get a rise out of him. Training and experience easily enabled Nat to ignore the comments, he had enough experience with the scum of the Earth attempting to get a rile from him simply so they could find something for one of their ludicrous stories, there wasn't a chance he would fail to the girl.

"Yes," He said slowly. Then in a very refined movement, he picked up none other than the bow that the girl had just been using to try and kill him. Softer then a feathers touch, he allowed his fingers to glide methodically down the curved metal shape of the handle, as he did so, he brought it up to eye level allowing the light of the sun to peer through the window and glint off in a marvellous sense of colour. It was well crafted, incredibly well crafted, far beyond the skills that any combat school student could make nor any random blacksmith, or that was what Qrows knowledge on weaponry informed him. With his eyes briefly peering past the finely decorated weapon, he allowed them to lock on to the rather stunning cerulean eyes of the girl, had they been a rock rather than an innate organic part of her, then they would have sold for a pretty price. Then he carried on what he said earlier. "Because you are indeed nothing more than a pretty, defenceless little girl" Nat matched in his own soft mocking way. "A girl who nearly skewered me with arrows and attempted to decorate the contents of an innocent village with nought but my intestines"

"You deserved it" Keeping her malicious glare that promised untold pain and suffering and likely humiliation, the girl began to call upon the contents of her body calling it forward, forming it together before spitting at the blonde haired boy sitting casually from her with one leg over the other and a book in his hand. She watched with bated glee only for her heart to sink as with rapid reaction, a handkerchief was flown into the air and captured the watery substance in its fabric folds before then being snatched up by its owner.

"You know I have been attempting to keep things civil, you attacked me for no apparent reason, threatening to end my life and by your current attitude and the state of this bow" The girl glared menacingly at him again only this time there was nothing but an outright desire to murder him in his sleep, desecrate his remains and forever paint him as some evil man in history to forever be a synonym of evil.

He knew this all of course, it was exactly why he had decided to slowly caress the supple curves of the bow, to pull the string back in such a way that one could hear the stretch of the powerful horse hair that made the string and finally to hold the bow backwards aimed towards the owner of said weapon and pretended to fire an arrow at her location.

It was all she had left of her dear sister, the only memento that could be recovered from her emotional broken wreck of a body, the last gift she had given before the girl in front of her killed her sister in mercy, to save her from the nightmares that would surely follow. By him playing with this bow as it was nothing but a simple toy, a simple chunk of metal that had been flattened out in places and curved in others, it helped to guarantee his position as the dominant one in this conversation.

There was no answer the girl could give to his questions that he would not know already, he knew her life as intimately as she did, had seen her greatest sorrows and most brilliant of triumphs. He had stood invisible by the girls side as not only the girls father left her mother for some younger more attractive woman, but also stranding over her as she covered under some debris as her mother was violated by bandits, used as nothing more then their plaything before slicing her hamstrings and leaving her to the resulting Grimm attack.

He knew the reason she held such a burning hatred for him, he was a male, no different to the brutes that had taken the lives of her family as if they were nothing but the old dolls she had played with. As far as she was concerned, he was an unknown male lounging around as if he owned the entire village and is refusal to bow down too her, to make her feel safe in the knowledge that she was the one on control and she could decide whether he lived or died, had only fostered her blazing hatred against him.

In all honesty, he should kill her, and the clan that had adopted her. Her hatred for men had resulted in her gleefully joining in the rest of her apparently all Amazonian clan as they hunted down men and killed them in cold blood if not worse. In fact going by these memories of acts that the older members had performed on some men, seducing them by entirely exposing themselves or performing other slow seductive acts as they broke the men out of their resilience, allowing them to take some sexual pleasure before they were lost a hazy bliss of lust only then for their eyes to turn to mad panic and terror as one moment they're enjoying an incredibly pleasant time with some rather beautiful women and the next their having sharp objects pressed against them slicing off body parts one by one. Some of those men he had noticed had been flayed alive, others boiled alive, some particularly cute or handsome ones were made temporary slaves before they were disposed of and others were outright stripped naked, covered in honey and sent racing through the forest for either the animals or the Grimm to find them. On other occasions, these barbaric savages would play games with heir slaves, involving, dog collars, leashes, blindfolds, rope and... well that last thing was something best kept silent. On other occasions though the clans most popular activity was to release them without honey and chase them down themselves.

The girl still young at around the same age as him, had yet to join in on the more violent and sexual punishments that the clan had used and so she was innocent of the more barbaric actions of her people. On the other hand, she had certainly been trained to perform those duties, in fact, he actually now knew the real reason she had attempted to kill him.

The bitch was looking for a man or a boy to partake in her first sexual conquest and murder, she had been given all the training quite literally she would have needed to perform the deed by her clan and already she had picked out the blacksmiths apprentice as her first kill when she had spotted him. Her initial belief after seeing his lack o huntsman level swordplay was that he would be an easy capture yet look better because of his equipment. From there he would be dragged back to the camp and his punishment would be chosen by the camp.

Again he thought blandly, he should kill the girl here and now, then dispose of her clan. It would certainly do the world some good, he would get rid of some psychopathic rapists and murderers saving random people from death or worse punishment. Yet as he briefly glanced at the girls face without a care, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

It certainly wasn't out of any sense of not wishing to harm a pretty face such as hers, the girl was a black widow waiting to bite. Nor was he in any way feeling guilty over the deaths of those people in Atlas, as much as his actions were undesirable, he had to take it to prepare and warn the Atlas civilian of what was coming, that this was only the beginning and they needed to prepare for war. Rather his lack of killing this girl was simply due to because he felt an odd sense of laziness at this current matter in time.

He could kill her, it would be an entirely simple thing to snap his fingers and have the blade deep into the girls neck as she simply sat there terrified feeling her aura drain out of her young attractive body designed by her clan to not only enable her to easily fight against opponents twice her size and strength, but to also induce unrestrained lust and to actually carry out that lust on a regular basis until finally with a crash her aura vanished and the blade pierced her neck. But again if he really desired to punish her, why on Earth would he kill her.

He preferred that death typically be the result of his enemies downfall, made things easier and he needn't worry about them coming back to haunt him. Most of the time that wasn't feasible, however, limiting his options to something like humiliation or blackmail or sending them into a deep dark depression that resulted in them committing suicide.

In the case of the girl, he could chuck her to the police, throw her in a mental hospital, take her far away from her clan so that she would never see them again perhaps forcing her to break down emotionally. Then again that could backfire resulting in her making her a serial killer that seduced men and lived in the forest. There were a few options that came to mind including one that he knew he would never ever do.

Despite his own lack of morality making him a cruel apathetic person willing to manipulate people like pawns on a chessboard, he would never sell anyone into slavery or use rape as any type of punishment. It made even his frozen over blood boil silently with rage as he thought of creative punishments in how to torture those would take part in such an event and take joy in their screams. All the same, however, the idea was one that passed through his mind, an absolute last resort, something he would never forgive himself for and something he couldn't bring himself to do.

He was better than that, and the thought that briefly passed through his mind was nothing but a thought something that he would kill over if anyone else had suggested such a thing with any degree of seriousness.

That still left the girls punishment, however. If he wasn't feeling in the mood for killing her, then he needed to think of another way to anger her, to make her suffer. He chuckled silently to himself as a plan came together.

He had been looking for agent's, individuals with not only the skill but also the motivation to help him in his own goals. This girl had suffered in her life, and after the initial stage of that pain, her anger like him was placed squarely on the shoulders of the one responsible. She hated him because he was a man, however if he was the only one there for her, if he pointed to the direction of those who had done her harm and said that by working for him she could do far more damage than she ever could on her own, then he might have a somewhat loyal agent.

She was certainly qualified for it, besides the high level of marksmanship[ and ability to fight with her choice of weapons, her clan had also taught her other useful skills for fighting Grimm and tracking enemies. In fact, her clan had been meticulous in ensuring that not only could she fight, but she could also annihilate most opponents other then graduated huntsman students and top military members.

She could be his perfect little assassin, sent off to the corners of the world, doing his business, whether that be intimidation, murder, thievery or even seduction. And while she may never like him, she would appreciate the knowledge knowing that with his power, she could wipe out those who massacred her clan.

Just who would be the one who wiped out her clan? Well, that was simple, the White Fang had of course. After their typical mission to the village, their members were kidnapped, brutalised and had their cut of heads sent back to the White Fang as a message. From there the White Fang would declare war on the clan, wiping them out leaving none other than an injured wounded girl on the verge of death about to be slain only for a mysterious young wizard to appear and save her from certain from death. From there the story followed the typical cliché, he promised revenge for service, and with a little use of compulsion charms, she would willingly follow his command for a certain amount of time so long as he did not put in too many restrictions on her actions.

The plan could work he supposed, not immediately, it was going to take him time for him to locate the nearest sect of White Fang members, however, once he did, it would be relatively easy to get the plan working. Just the suggestion that this clan was hiding a dangerous spy amongst their ranks would be enough to get the White Fang blazing in with machine guns. And whether it took too assaults from the White Fang or only one, the murder-kidnapping gang would be wiped off the surface of Remnant.

All of those thoughts passed by with such an insane speed that this Girl hadn't even noticed that anything had occurred. Now it was simply a case of putting his bold new plan into action.

"Civil" The girl spat. "A man can't be civil, all they do is run into villages and kill anyone they want and take everyone else as their slaves, I'd hardly call that civil." Nat kept his eyes on his kindle, flicking through the next page as lazily as he did this conversation once again showcasing in a more subtle movement even as this girl called forth her aura in a far more destructive manner, that he was entirely in control.

"Well I'm afraid I'm going to have to change your mind, you see I just remembered that I have a friend I need to speak too," Nat said casually. "Nice girl, kind, beautiful, strong, sweet, always doing the right thing, bit naive and lonely as well. Luckily she's found someone who catches her eye and I've been doing my best to help her get along with things. Which is why I'm going to offer you a deal" The girl narrowed her eyes yet her situation of being trapped even as she had attempted to flood her arms and legs with aura, every plan of hers to escape was thwarted and she really had no desire to let this pig do as he will with her.

"What kind of deal?" Her eyes glinted dangerously in the warm yellow light of the suns gaze.

"Simple, I let you go, take you back to the village that you assaulted me in, in return, you tell me not only why you attacked me, but you as well as anyone else you may be in contact with also promise not to attack me. That includes mercenaries or anything of the like, I'm not so stupid as to leave myself open for an attack" Nat hid his smile as he saw the girl glower at him for having her obvious plan foiled. She chafed at the restraints that kept her in the chair likely planning on grabbing the floating sword as she broke out or slide her neck to the side if she did and allow the piece of sharpened metal to slice into the wooden frame temporarily trapping it. Then in what she thought would be his confusion, she would rush out of her chair, smash into him and then break his neck and then rush out.

It was a decent plan, entirely possible had he not been a wizard, but the fact of the matter was that he was a wizard and that gave him a range of abilities far beyond hers. She could fight and struggle as much as she wanted to, she could call up her aura, blast the restraints with dust, attempt to slice it with her bow, the result would still be the same. She wasn't going anywhere and as her aura reached dangerously low levels, she finally gave up once again and directed the full weight and fury of those sparkling Cerulean eyes toward him.

"And if I refuse?" The hate in her tone was so thick that it was almost as if a person could slice through it and serve it on a plate.

"I leave you here" Nat replied blandly. "Tied up of course, the last thing I would need is you telling whoever you live with about me and then trying to kill me. Not to mention yourself, If I untied you my head would be decorating a spike or something. Instead, you would be left here on your own until you either died either through starvation of dehydration, were murdered by Grimm or bandits or perhaps you die in some other way. " Nat gave the girl another quick look over inspecting the state of her body under the armour. Considering where he had apparated them too, he guessed she would die of Hypothermia, perhaps in the future, some hike may stumble across her frozen whether corpse looking menacingly out in one direction of the other tied to a simple chair.

"Why don't you just sell me to bandits?" The girl him with an angry glare that spoiled her naturally delicate face, she hoped that her mocking of his plan would see the sense in her words. If he was foolish enough to believe that he could control her, then she would enjoy slitting his throat and those that would have attempted to defile her.

"What so you can be raped?" Nat hid his outward disgust yet on the inside, the revulsion he felt was immense. "Hate me if you desire, but even I hold morals and I am not so lacking in character to subject someone to that torture. Am offering you a way to leave, you know my deal and we can leave on amicable terms"

"Amicable will be your head on a spike"

"Do you accept the deal or not" The girl went to glower once more in defiance at him, hoping to show how much she despised him and how he was below her, yet the bland look sent shivers down her spine. He actually meant to leave her, tied up on a chair in the middle of nowhere. This pig would actually allow her to starve to death or worse, what if some bandits found this place and saw her simply lying in such a position, they couldn't resist such an easy conquest.

"Fine" She grunted furiously. "I won't tell my clan to bother you in any way and I'll tell you why I attacked you and in return, you take me back to the village and let me go"

"That is the bargain we have struck" With a defeated sigh, the girl sucked in a slow gulp of air savouring it before she proceeded to give a very basic analogy of that her clan had a harmless ritual to kidnap boys to test that their newest members were ready for their duties. It was all bullshit of course and whether or not he had the capability to read minds, Nat would never have believed such a story in the first place but all the same, he had a public perception of nodding his head to the story. "So you weren't trying to kill me, you were just using me as some training practice with an actual opponent"

"Of course" The girl lied. "Had you been seriously injured, then I would have healed you."

"And the threats?" Nat asked taking a small delight in how easy it was to see through the girls lies. It was almost as if he was looking at a Childs painting only instead of him being a parent and being gushy about their kids first picture, he was instead taking pleasure in noticing every single flaw she made. He really was an asshole at times.

"My clan told me that if I ever got captured to try and disorient the enemies, make them fearful of you"

"I can see that working." Nat stood up and walked the short distance over the relatively basic wooden flooring, grabbing the floating sword and sheathing back in its place by his hip. In his other hand, he held the girl's bow giving the girl a showcase that he had not broken the thing that was so precious to her. "Okay time to go" Before she could even mumble a protest, the girl suddenly felt herself lurching into some kind of dimensional straw thing that pushed, pulled, sucked and spat out her like a ping pong machine in a blender during the middle of a blizzard.

Then it was all over and she was back in the village still sitting down on a chair as her hands and feet were tied down by the unbreakable metal clamps

"Ta-ta" With a swirl of the exact same dark energy that they had arrived at the village, Nat vanished from the spot before the girls very eyes. As soon as he was gone, the spells wore off entirely. With a thump, the girls rear struck the ground as alongside the metal clamps, the chair that she had been sat on also disappeared from existence. The moment it did so, she dashed out of her chair grabbing her now dropped bow off the ground and turned quickly on her heel with her bow drawn.

"Come back here you fucking coward" She grunted angrily desperate to get payback on the one who had briefly captured her. Only as a few minutes passed and her already depleted aura finally caught up to her, she placed the bow back on her back as holding several pounds worth of weight without a target began to ache her arm uncontrollably. "When I get my hands on you" She threatened before taking off in the direction of her clan, they would want to know about this new stranger, one who could teleport and have the power of telekinesis. Two semblances were rare, and for a boy to have two incredibly powerful semblances mad him an even greater threat should he be able to use them with great efficiency as he got older.

With no reaction from the mysterious boy, she marched back home a huge angry frown adoring her typically happy face unbeknownst to the young wizard who watched her from a distance with a slight look of amusement.

Days Later

Fire burned and scorched everything around her, old green trees that had once towered over her when she was a child giving a nice large amount of shade during raging summers and shelter in monsoons now burned in blazing orange flame. Her breath hitched and she gasped in agony as her throat felt as if it was lit ablaze while she inhaled thick black smoke. Her eyes stung terribly having lost all moisture in them to the unending foe of fire as she ran and ran as fast her legs would carry her.

Snatching a glimpse behind her, she felt her heart only jump slightly in relief as she saw some of her fellow sisters still joining her as they rushed down the jungle paths as best they could. However, she soon felt fear eclipse that relief as her vision rapidly deteriorated from a crystal clear gaze as she had experienced her entire life to that of a hazy blur struggling to make out a clearly defined shape of anything. Already she had smashed her face into several leaves resulting in poisoning that her aura had used to stop while in other occasions, she had nearly tripped over a large obvious root.

Still, she ran as fast as her pale now barefoot cute and bruised feet could take her over the dark dirt path through the forest. In the background, she could faintly hear the sounds of battle emerging as the others in the clan fought off their attackers as best they could with what weapons remained. Bows, sword and shields all gave off familiar twangs, however, what terrified her more was the continuous beating sound as a machine gun flared its ammunition into the open jungle. Suddenly, a loud thundering sound echoed followed swiftly by a series of thunder like crashes and just a constant loud brrrt as bullets sliced down everything in the centre ripping apart flesh and vegetation of light.

She dared to look back over her shoulders, stopping as she did so and her heart sunk. Plumes of fire rocketed skywards and small red lights zoomed fast into the area that had once been her camp alongside other smaller plumes of fire that just emerged. This all carried in her blurry hazy head as the smell of fire dust used in explosives rocketed through the air.

She shivered as the war wind struck her entirely bare skin. They had attacked when most of them had been sleeping, she herself had been in the lake, bathing herself to get rid off the dirt and grime of the day mostly lost in her own world besides occasionally playing with one of her friends who was in the same state. They never stood a chance. One moment they were playing her friend waving at her, the next her friend heads turned into a red messy paste as it was pulverized by a high impact aura devastating bullet.

Only by the luck of her not being the first shot had she survived and instantly in the small time it had taken the sniper to reload, she had dived down into the lake holding her breath as she swam to the other side and rushed back into the lake. Had she rushed towards where she had left her clothing and weapons then she too would have been killed by the sniper. But she had been too late, ten metres away from the entrance of the camp and the next thing anyone knew was that the front load of tents exploded outwards in a blast of orange and red fury sending tent tree person and random, supplies catapulting in the air as the earth itself seemingly launched upwards smashing into her body and covering her in wet soggy soil.

The source of that blast soon had made itself known as a group of Atlesian military type airships swiftly glided through the air at insane speed, Atlassian airships gilded with the symbol of a red animals skull slashed by three blazing claws.

The White Fang had attacked them, how they had located their missing member she did not know, his capturers and soon owners had ensured that he had been entirely naked bar his rightful collar and leash. It didn't matter though, she had watched as the airships had gunned down sleep members of her clan with meticulously aimed gunfire shredding through their weakened defences.

She had rushed back in the camp, desperate to help her clan leader and the other members of the clan as they attempted to put their high level of skills to good use, yet the White Fang had come prepared for battle. Their homemade dust arrows simply bounced off the strong metal armour of the bullheads and the same had been for the windows. Worse, the White Fang had used their advantages, using their machines to stay out of the range of all but their most powerful bow and then use their far more powerful weapons to annihilate them.

She'd begged and begged her clan leader to allow her to fight, to make up for the mess that she had made in failing her assignment of finding her own slave, however, she had been refused and told to take as many people as far away as she could. She had wanted to argue, but the quick deployment of White fang members with flamethrowers and the brutal return of that sniper, one-shotting her clan leader had changed her mind. Quickly she had obeyed the order, loudly yelling at the top of her lungs for everyone to retreat away, and so she had retreated into a Grimm infested forest with no food, no clothing, no weapons and broadcasting pure fear brighter than a lighthouse in the middle of a winter night.

Still, she kept running, her breath heaving as she pushed her burning tired legs on through the underbrush; Occasionally she came across a dangerously venomous snake who had seen her and was planning on making her it's dinner. Narrowly she had escaped, but one of her friends to her horror was not as the overly large creature leapt and sunk it's large sharp teeth into her throat unleashing its poison into her before then coiling around.

"Run" She cried loudly to the other three girls who were just behind her, they followed her orders but horror befell them all the same. Only the loud high pitched whine of the Grimm alerted her to its presence, but it mattered not as one moment the girl behind her was there, the next a giant praying mantis-like Grimm had jumped through onto the trail and bit the girls head off in a single body, decapitating her in an instant.

Shocked in fear, the other two pulled themselves into a stop lest they run directly into the Grimm as it began to pick up and chew the rest off the girl's corpse. It was a mistake, the very next moment a grim crocodile burst upon the banks, having jumped five metres into the air from an unseen source of water and grabbed one of the girls while a large nevermore swooped out of the sky and caught the other in its clutches leaving her alone to keep running.

Her heart pounded in her chest just as fast and dangerous as the legendary machines she had heard about from other members of her clan. She wished at that moment that she had one of those machines as she heard the angry cries of other Grimm in the distance behind her, anything to get away from the nightmare.

Yet as she kept running, she felt her heart sink deeper and further into despair as the sound of thrumming engines emanating from one of the White Fangs Bullheads etched closer at an impossible rate. Forcing her head up, she winced as she felt her soft cheek get lashed by a particular vine however her nightmare was only made worse when she was the machine fly over the hills and the Grimm directly behind her.

Had they spotted her?

Falling down from the machine a rain of bullets smashed into the area directly behind her, churning it into even bigger pulp whilst other whizzed past her ear singing a lethal song. Again her she felt her breath hitch in fear as the machine got closer and closer the bullets continuously just missing the back of her feet by a mere inch.

She tried to take in a deep breath but found herself choking as she tried to run, the blazing heat in her throat had gotten worse and now it pained her to simply take in a breath of fresh jungle air. Still, she had to run, if she stopped even for a minute then-.

Her breath lurched entirely out of her body as something hard and fast slammed into her knocking her off her feet several metres and sending her injured bruised and bloody body careening into a tree with a loud thunk before slumping to the ground in a broken bloody mess.

She couldn't move, the pain in her back was immense as if someone had torn it out of her entirely. All she could do was stay where she was, her dry eyes lingering onto the distance in the opposite direction while her head pounded raw. Then slowly she heard the wet squelches of shoes striking the wet soil beneath their feet as they advanced closer and then the metal ring as a blade of some kind was brought out of its sheath.

She couldn't move, her body filled with terror, she tried to, her arms could be raised a few centimetres of the ground before splashing back in again and her eyes could fleet across the horizon of black tress, but other than that she was motionless. The feet came closer and closer and she could hear the rough rustle of something knocking into flesh, a rifle going by the sound it was making, she soon had her answer.

In a moment, cold hard flesh wrapped around her pale body brutally without any care yanking her position onto her back so that she could stare motionlessly upwards. What she saw, was a rough man with a short stubble a pair of deer antlers fully grown and cold menacingly brown eyes that complimented his dark brown skin.

"You and your clan should have left us alone little girl" He snarled as harshly the man gripped her left leg in his hand and roughly tied forcing it away giving him better access. "We would have been fine had you left us, your lot could have kept kidnapping your little sex slaves and we could have kept operating in this area, but you lot decided to steal of our men and that only deserves one response."In the darkness, the man gave a cruel malicious grin as he took pleasure in watching the girl's eyes widen as much as they could as she shivered in fear and memories flashed past in her mind. "You would not believe the problems with getting some fun when we're stuck in the middle of a dust forsaken jungle, but I do have to thank you for showing us where we could get out kicks. It's a shame really, you are a really pretty faunus, would have made a good mascot for the White Fang, but that's never going to happen"

The felt her body freeze up in terror as she saw the man quickly reach for his belt, there was nothing she could do if she had wanted to. Her back was in too much pain, whether it was broken and left her praised or was simply sprained, the result was that this brutal pig was going to-."

"You know, it's very unbefitting of a gentleman to treat a lady in such a foul manner" That voice, the girl's eyes widened both in fear and yet a very small spark of hope, maybe just maybe he was here to help. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to withdraw lest I be forced to issue you with a lesson" The voice continued in the calm yet also familiar mocking tone that the girl had first heard it, it was him, the boy who had kidnapped her from the village days ago.

"Show yourself coward" The sniper roared into the dark underbrush his voice bellowing like that of a great bear.

"And why ever would I do that?" The voice mocked.

"A man will stand and fight another man" The voice replied callously as the sniper's eyes glowed with anger as they flittered around the dark landscape hoping to spot the location of this speaker.

"Oh yes like you stood and fought those other women, by shooting them with a high impact sniper rifle at several hundred metres away when they didn't even know you were there. Real manly. " The snipers glared at the canopy of trees, suddenly a bird flew out shaking the sniper psychologically.

"And you're just a kid going by your voice, just some snot-nosed brat still clinging to mummies skirt. How about you come out here and I'll show you what you need to be, tell you what" The man grinned as he gestured towards the downed broken body of the nude girl before him. "You come down from wherever your hiding, and I'll treat you how to handle your enemies properly, hell I'll even let you go first and give you lessons" The girl shuddered in panic and fear, he wouldn't do that, the pig that had captured her wouldn't do that, he was going to save her from this man, that was what pigs were supposed to do, be subservient to their women and in this case that meant saving her from this fate.

"No thank you, I have no interest in the dull action that is sexual intercourse, far too time-consuming not to mention being an entire waste of time. Besides had I ever been interested in the first place, look at her. She's broken, sure she's got pale smooth skin, a fit body, luscious hair and beautiful eyes not to mention being gifted with her tracts of land, but her spines probably broken, she can't whisper a word and her eyes are barely fluttering. Who in their right mind would want to touch that sorry state of a mess, that was unless of course, you're just some desperate cock muncher who's in denial about his sexuality" The voice cackled in the moonlit sky. Had she been capable, the girl would have glared at the surrounding brush, the pig had just insulted her, treated her as if she was some kind of animal. Of course, she felt her anger boiling, he was just like the others, only caring about one thing and it was fucking disgusting. When she got out of this she was going to track down the both of them and she would make them suffer for what they have done.

"You're going to regret that kid, the moment you reveal yourself, my boys are going to rip you a new one" The sniper growled.

"You're boys" The child calm voice called out. "You mean these ones right here" Detonating in a flash of brilliant golden light, the bullhead exploded in all directions, sending a blast of air followed by shrapnel colliding into the ground smashing and demolishing everything in sight. With wide eyes, the sniper stared in surprise horror before he turned around once again as he remembered to never allow the enemy the ability to sneak up on him.

However as soon as he did, he felt his bones turn to ice as a mere two metres away from him were the pilots who had been in the jungle. Only to his increasing horror and his own rising sickness, they had been pierced from asshole to mouth with a giant silver spear several metres tall now drenched as the corpse's blood ran down the cool metal in the night.

"Come and face me" The man yelled scared as he saw the massacred remains of his now shish kebab friends or a ready meal for grim to come and snack on whenever they so desired. "Be a man"

"They do say that my people are very gentlemanly and always expect fair play, it's an intrinsic part of my people's culture" The voice sounded calm respectful as if he was meeting with some member of royalty and the sniper was that person.

"Then why don't you show it" The man yelled frightened. The voiced cackled in an evil menacing way.

"Because people have a tendency to forget the other side of my people" The voice spoke with a happy malicious tone that seemingly froze the sniper in place as his breath faltered. "And in all honesty, that side of us is best left under lock and key, unless of course, something requires it. So in the meantime, I recommend laying down your weapon."

"Fuck you" The sniper yelled. In a sudden flash of blackness blinding even him and the girl from everything in sight, all sound around them ceased except for a few last words directly in front of the sniper millimetres from his ear.

"How eloquent"


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, RWBY or anything else I may reference

Magic and Remnant

 **Chapter 21**

Vytal

Sun shone through the clear windows of the recently constructed living room, illuminating it to anyone who was not capable of seeing in the dark. In the corner of the room, sat Nat. As ever with a cup of tea in his hand as well as his scroll activated while he read the morning paper online, he searched the internet for any mentions of White Fang or other activities that could relate to Salem.

That incident had been a few days ago and it was his desire to know if anyone had either reported it or more importantly started an investigation into the event. Personally, he hoped that if an investigation was put into place it would be a relatively short one. Magic or not, he still had to be subtle as he fought against Salem and her cronies, it was just a shame, that he was forced to wait.

That was the irritating thing, he knew the use of patience in a war such as this, and he also agreed with how slow his actions were going to take. Still, it got rather boring at times when he knew that he could deal some absolute devastating blows to the enemy if he was actually more active in his plans rather then just sitting on an island most days.

His attention was soon taken over though when his wands alerted him to the situation with his newest guest. Taking a sip of his tea, he leaned back before turning to the outside world. It was quiet for the most part, an occasional animal here or there, waterfalls still gushing with water, and rivers still flowed. This luxury canyon was a beautiful place to live his day to day life.

Things were going to have to get busier he concluded, the information he had gathered from that one White Fang agent indicated that the White Fang had serious plans for this year. What they were or who was involved was unknown to them, yet the point remained the same. There was very minimal time to get the world ready for a war, but perhaps he had been wrong in focusing entirely on the military aspect of the fight.

Guns and tanks were going to be useful, but it would be the governments of nations that would determine how this war would end. They were the ones who would pay for weapons, who would decide if their nation went to war and what assistance they would provide when they finally forced to commit not only weapons but also their manpower and economy to beating back the Grimm. It was all going to be costly, a lot of angry yelling and shouting at first as governments went under the impression that Huntsman and Huntresses could hold the frontline against the grim which in their view prevented the need for a military.

It wouldn't last for long, the number of huntresses and Huntsman in the world were very small. First, there was the actual amount of people who believed it might be a decent career option and apply to the necessary schools after that were interviews, first few weeks of training, then the actual starting training to see who has the ability to fight Grimm and not end up dead in the process. After that came the Huntsman school's where if it was Beacon, most students made the cut, whereas if it was Atlas and far more ruthless, a good lot more failed to become Huntsman and Huntresses.

The nations of the world needed to see that, learn that their beloved Huntsman was not immortal, but also that they were few in number and once gotten past, had nothing left to defend them. It was never going to work, he could argue and argue with others, point to examples and threaten something or other, but in the end, it would never work. The Grimm would have to be at their doors knocking loudly and giving out written commands before the people might decide that they need to sacrifice luxury for survival. Such as the girl currently walking through the door and drew his attention to her.

"Good morning" Snatching her groggy mind towards him, Nat offered the girl a small smile before gesturing towards the table he was at. The girl baulked back at first, likely she was very confused as to where she was and also why the boy who had captured her was now inviting her to breakfast. Still, whether it was curiosity or the call of hunger, she accepted his invitation with narrowed eyes and advanced. "I assume you slept well?"

"Where am I?" The girl spat out quickly before searching the room she was in suspiciously. Quickly Nat noticed that her gaze locked onto the set of kitchen knives that were in the corner of the kitchen. Most assumedly she was calculating on whether she could make it to the knives and threaten him before he could react. It wouldn't work, of course, him, being the paranoid person he was, those knives were enchanted to becoming not only more blunt than a brick, but also to increase in weight and stick to the first surface they were attached to.

"Would you like some breakfast, I prepared some for you" Gesturing towards the opposite side of the table, Nat directed the girl to a plate that housed a full English breakfast, whilst other useful foodstuffs like salt, pepper and al the other things sat in the middle of the table. Before the girl could argue back, however, the girl felt her stomach growl forcing her to narrow her eyes dangerously towards her host daring him to mock her. "It's not poisoned, if I wanted to kill you then I would have done so three nights ago when that Sniper had taken you down" The girl froze and her face hardened as she heard that.

"What happened to my people," She asked sullenly. Roughly grabbing one of the wooden chairs, she pushed the furniture away just enough so she could sit down. Looking down, she started to feel uncomfortable as Nat kept viewing multiple different websites on his Scroll, searching for something and not paying attention to her.

"I understand your sentiment, but the fact is you've been asleep now for the last few days. Once you've got some food and water in you, I'll let you know"

"You'll tell me now" The girl demanded angrily as she thumped her left hand on the table. Nat resisted the urge to sigh at the impatientness of the girl, turning towards her, he met her bright azure eyes with his own dull violet ones.

"Miss we both know that whatever answer I give will result in the same course of action you take. I desire for you to eat your breakfast first for the sake of your health. The last thing I want after looking after your three days is for you to collapse due to hunger" Nat pointed towards the food on the table again, "It's a relatively heavy meal, should keep you going for the next few hours, whatever you chose to do"

"I want to return to my clan" The girl bit back furiously. Staring at the food, she went to push it way however the pain in her stomach made her hesitate. With an angry blush, she picked up the knife and fork, before slowly sinking the metal into the first sausage and taking a bite. Her face brightened slightly as she took in the taste before then with no care about how others would view her, promptly began to consume everything as quickly as she could as if it was going to spoil soon.

"Content?" Nat asked calmly as he observed the devoured plate.

"It was adequate," The girl said with a humpf as she crossed her shoulders and leaned back as if she owned the place. "You could pass as a cook in my clan. In fact take me back and I'll have my clan spare you so long as you stay in the kitchen where you belong" Nat rolled his eyes behind his glasses as he heard that, he was expecting such behaviour from a girl who had essentially grown up in a matriarchal society, still it was by far one of the oddest things he'd ever heard.

"And why ever would I want to take you back, if you keep threatening me"

"Because I would force you to submit, tie you up and then give the choice, servitude or death"

"I choose neither, and as for your hypothetical situation, you'd lose, badly" Ignoring the outraged look on the girls face, Nat allowed his eyes to scan through the online newspaper for anything that sounded interesting. Most of it was the usual crap, some movie actress had fucked some dude, some duck had caused a traffic jam, a Faunus was caught robbing a store, results of some sport or other. "Oh, it looks like Schnee Industries has gained a special partner in the Atlas military to help create the next generation of robots. How long do you think they'll take.?"

"Why would I know?" The girl responded dismissively.

"I thought you might have an opinion on modern politics and would be interested in hearing on your view on it" Nat responded plainly as he returned back to the newspaper. Personally, he was very thankful that he had managed to end up in a world which had similar levels of technology to that of Earth, Merlin knows how he would have coped had he landed in something like the Medieval era.

"You're trying to distract me, just tell me what I want to know and I'll be on my way"

"That could be a little difficult considering the fact that you have no money" The girl blinked confused but felt a sudden sinking feeling in her chest as she put the pieces together as quickly as she could. She didn't need money for shelter or food, she could always hunt whatever was nearest or scavenge of bushes as she had been taught. As for shelter, she knew how to put together a temporary shelter with ferns and how to make a fire. If she needed money then that likely meant that she would require transport of some kind.

"Where exactly am I?"

"Vytal or if you aren't familiar with a world map, it's the big island in the middle of the map directly to the north of Vale or to put it a different way, you're on an entirely different continent and surrounded by water." The way that the girls face changed to one of utter shock and confusion was for Nat as he saw her slump down into her seat. It seemed to be sinking in quite quickly, just how far away she was from her home and her clan, all the way in another continent and surrounded by thick lush jungle and dangerous animals that wanted to eat everything.

"How did I get here, the last thing I remember was that White Fang assassin knocking me out and that my village was on fire" She stared angrily at Nat from her seat, this time he saw that she was not going to take any other answer and doing so would result in her attacking him. Handling her was easy enough, but he wasn't going to lose anything by telling her about the death of her clan, he had just wanted to make sure that she had at least one decent meal in her before she went into depression.

"Your entire clan is dead" Nat answered slowly moving his eyes to lock onto hers so she wouldn't assume he was being rude by keeping his attention on the news. "After I rescued you, I checked on the others of your clan, a few of them were alive, but their injuries were fatal none the less and wouldn't have lived long." Dropping his eyes downwards to the floor, Nat called back to the acting lessons he had and did his best to look sorrowful about the situation. Truthfully, some had survived and would have actually made it, since the White Fang wasn't exactly the most competent of soldiers. The word was would have, he made sure to kill every single sentient creature in that area that night and after that made sure to stage the scene as best he could so that when another group of White Fang came, they'd believe it was one big firefight before the Grimm attacked.

"All of them? Nobody else survived?" Nat shook his head and gestured as subtly as he could towards the dinner.

"I'm afraid not. However, before you decide to either grieve, mourn or go on a killing rampage, I would like you to listen to what I have to say for a bit. You'll find it rather...enlightening" The girl glared at him angrily, her blood boiled in her veins and she felt the desire to attack him. First, he tells her that her entire clan is dead and next he wants to tell her some drivel about not getting revenge on the individuals who had butchered her family all because they had taken one of their men prisoner. She should break his leg for his defiance, it's what happened to slaves that refused to do what they were told. However as soon as the fury boiled into her, it then left making her feel weak as if she was staring at herself from the viewpoint of a ghost.

"What could you possibly say that I would find so interesting.?"

"How about the fact that the White Fang are nothing but a bunch of mindless puppets bent to the will of some ancient evil" The girl scowled at the response, not believing it for a second. Used to ridiculous attempts by boys and others into making her believe their pathetic lies, she looked for the telltale signs of when an individual lied such as how the lie looking away momentarily, entirely unafraid to make eye contact or the way their pulse quickened.

"I would say you're just a foolish human unable to get away from the fairytale stories that you heard at night. What are you going to say that magic is real too? Back of and I may consider not killing you for your comment."

"A fair enough comment without any evidence to back that up. However I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you" Drawing his wand from his sheath, Nat wasted no time before flicking it towards the side where with a great flash of white light, a loud trumpeting sound came out as a great grey beast with ivory horns and a loud snout appeared from nowhere. Striking it's newly created foot onto the soft wooden floor beneath them, the table that they were sat on shook as did the water jump up out of its glass and splash straight in. Promptly after, the large elephant started trumpeting, waving its trunk all over the place as it looked around confused. Seeing the two strangers, it went to change but before it did, another light struck the creature, this time freezing it entirely in stone leaving only a very expensive statue behind.

"I could always turn you into proper fox if you like" Reactively moving her hand towards her fox ears that rested on her head, the girl held them protectively as she did her tail. "It's rather uncommon to see a two-appendage faunus, I can only imagine what it must have been like when you were younger".

"Was that?" She stared at the statue as it stood there, staring her down with its trunk in the air.

"Magic yes. Unfortunately, it's a lot harder to prove the existence of this other secretive group, but I can indeed confirm that they're real, as well as a lot of other stuff. The question remains, are you willing to listen or would you rather wish to leave now?" The girl glanced out the window into a wide beautiful canyon just like those she had seen in paintings where she was younger. It was the type of place that people dreamed of visiting to get away from the world or to have a romantic honeymoon alone. It was well hidden this place she noticed, far away from any grimm and by extension any significant presence of humanity if she remembered her geography.

"Talk" She stated.

"I'll start with this other group as that's what you're going to want to know more about." Flicking his wand over to a nearby pile of paper, Nat waited as the pieces flew in the air before then depositing themselves in a neat pile in front of the girl. Before she could ask a question, however, she saw that ink appeared on the page by magic, forming words and pictures as Nat began to speak.

"In this world, there is a creature known as Salem. This creature is the ruler of the Grimm, the Queen of them. Humanoid in appearance, it's stated that she has snow white skin that and red lines of corruption on her body just like Grimm do. How she came about I don't know, but what I do know, is that like the Grimm, it can be assumed that Salem's desire is to destroy humanity and currently she is on her most recent attempt at that. This is where the White Fang comes in, she's using the group of terrorists to cause trouble and start a panic in the kingdoms with the ultimate desire to divide the kingdoms up allowing her to sweep in and destroy the bastions of humanity."

"Wait if she wants to destroy humanity, why would she even work with the White Fang, all they care about is enslaving humans?"

"The White Fang is nothing but a pawn to her, a useful tool in her arsenal that allows her to direct the focus of her enemies off her main agents and onto a larger group. This strategy as mentioned before enables her agents to infiltrate and commit their plans whenever and wherever needed with as little observation as possible as well as to raise the amounts of fear in the Kingdoms, leading to more Grimm attacks and drastic measures. I suspect, that she wants' to cause some kind of incident to single out a kingdom, most likely Atlas due to its military strength and point it in a bad light"

"Wait so the White Fang is nothing but thugs working for some Grimm Queen. How come nobody knows about this?" The girl said in disbelief as she leaned back on her chair trying to wrap her head around such a bizarre story. It was certainly unique, something that a conspiracy theorist would point out to, most of the time it was to create a panic or because they wanted some type of fun, at other times it was because it truly was what they believed.

"Because we have no evidence to show off this fact, and if we do inform the world, the world will then start asking questions leading to the reveal of other hidden secret facts. Besides, if we reveal Salem, then her main enemy, Ozpin will also have his secrets revealed likely leading to a massive outburst of anger towards the man and a drastic reduction in trust. Suffice to say, it's a secret war."

"Okay but why are you even telling me this, how does this affect me" Nat took a sip of his tea before he then proceeded to move his scroll in the middle of the table allowing for a holographic image of the world to be displayed. On that map, were a series of multicoloured shapes. The largest of these coloured shapes were a series of red diamonds then followed by red squares, red triangles and the red circles. "The stars are the capitals of each respective kingdom, the squares are other cities, triangles, decent sized towns or villages whilst the dot's are small settlements. Now, these white dot's represent the location of White Fang bases that I have uncovered as you can see, they have at least one in every single kingdom and many more located around the outskirts of the Kingdoms. From what I can gather, the White Fang are taking certain amounts of land that they consider under their domination. Your clan lived in one of these areas and when you took action against them by the kidnapping of one of their member's you essentially declared war.

"So what, my people are dead, all I want is revenge. Thanks for giving me the location of their base, I'll send you a postcard or something when I get back." Rising out of the seat, the girl huffed angrily as she looked for the way-out of this place, occasionally glancing towards the map to see just where the base was located.

"There's no point, that entire base was destroyed and abandoned last night, as of right now any surviving members of that group have likely been called away to do some other job as they investigate what occurred in your clan's jungle."

"Then I'll just hunt down the other bases and kill every other White Fang scum who gets in my way" Again Nat shook his head as he glanced back towards the map. There was a reason as to why he had been searching for high profile White Fang members when he went around the world trying to stop a corrupted lady from obliterating everything. What concerned him, was the rapid rise in bases that had occurred over the last weeks especially in Vale. More and more numbers he noticed had arrived in their Mountain Glenn location and it wasn't just the old veterans of the cause, but also newer fresher blood indicating that this place was going to be a lot more permanent than other locations.

"Then walk to your death then"

"What are you talking about, I can beat a bunch of poorly trained White Fang idiots"

"The lower ranked ones most certainly you can, but you cannot fight forever and sooner or later your aura will vanish and your strength will drain. How do you defend yourself when the other bases realise you're coming after them and decide to group up together in order to kill you?" The girl waved him off in a bored fashion as she continued to search for the door that would allow her to escape. Unfortunately for her, she didn't find one and instead could only try the windows which resulted in her attempting to open the closed windows. Again to her dismay, she found the windows locked trapping her in the kitchen.

"They don't know I'm coming, and I also know the jungle better than them. I can slip in, kill everyone and be on my way. Nobody will ever find me and nobody can beat me in a fight when I'm in the jungle"

"You severely misjudge your skills, Miss?" Despite all this time of them discussing matters, the girl realised that not once had she disclosed her name to the strange boy who had kidnapped her one time and then apparently managed to save her life. Narrowing her eyes at him, she marched toward the table and slammed her ass back on the chair as she realised that she would not be leaving until her "saviour" had finished with her.

"Artemis," The girl said as best as she could without adding any scorn into it. "Artemis Violet"

"Of course it has to be Artemis" Nat muttered to himself. "The one girl I save out of a bunch of Amazon-like women just happens to be called Artemis." There was also the issue of the girls last name. He was more than aware of the naming conventions with Qrow having once commented, that his name seemed to have also followed the naming convention as the word Tempest brought up images of a storm which were typically dark with purple lightning streaking, but still it was a stupid tradition. Artemis had bright purple eyes, and bright purple hair, as well as purple ears and tail, essentially what someone had done was see the hair colour of the child and decide that was all they needed to give their daughter her last name.

"Is there something wrong with my name, boy" Artemis scowled at his muttering and started tapping the table with her left finger impatiently.

"Hardly, Artemis is the name of an old Goddess. According to the legends, she wasn't too much fond of men and had a tendency of turning any man who may have been hunting in the worlds and come across her as she was bathing into an animal and then hunted them down for sport. Suffice to say, you remind me of her a bit" Artemis nodded in an interesting manner as she heard Nat give a very brief explanation of this goddess that she had never heard of before. She found it rather intriguing, a goddess with her name and one who also seemed to share the same type of values.

"How many concubines did this goddess keep" She inquired.

"None to my knowledge, she was a goddess of chastity alongside, Archery, The Hunt, The Moon, Maidens and a few other things. Her entire thing was never having a romantic partner or interest and travelled the world with a bunch of female hunters who she kept forever youthful. So no lovers and if she did exist, the only thing I can see her agreeing with you is about society being Matriarchal"

"That's disappointing, do you have any other stories about this goddess?"

"No and back onto the topic at hand, I'm sorry to say that your clan won't exactly be heaving funeral rights. After the battle, the Grimm came in, I'm afraid to say there is nothing to either burn or bury. I also wouldn't advise revisiting the area as a number or more powerful Grimm have made it their new home" Artemis slumped backwards in her chair as those words struck her harder than an arrow fired by one of her teachers. Her voice rasped and she struggled to breathe for a few seconds as she felt the pain strike her. They were all dead, her second family, the ones who had raised her and protected her after her village had been destroyed by bandits. Now everything she had gained was also lost?

"Did you at least try to bury them?" She croaked out "I know you can teleport, you couldn't have saved anyone else?".

"Nobody survived, and it took a while for me to recharge my aura after teleporting so far. When I returned, there were multiple, gryphons, beowolves and even a Nuckaleeve in the area. It was far too dangerous to approach, all I managed to retrieve was your weapons" Artemis snapped her attention to Nat as out of nowhere, he produced her familiar set of weaponry and attire. Slowly they floated over the table until they hovered only a few inches away from her face, daring her to grab them as she once had. She didn't hesitate for a second, first, she grabbed her familiar weapon and then her clothing. Bringing them close to her, she soon narrowed her eyes back at the boy as he sat casually across the table.

"These have been cleaned" She stated in a matter of fact way.

"Would you prefer that I give you your clothes still torn, dirty and covered in blood" Nat replied as he averted his attention back onto the map. "I could always undo the process if you like" Instinctively, Artemis yanked her clothing away as if to protect it.

"No," She said, "This will do." Blushing slightly, she turned her head away in embarrassment as she then slid her weapons onto the table. "Would you mind turning away as I get changed" Currently, she was dressed in a set of clothes that had been given to her when she awoke. They were only basic, a black t-shirt, some jeans, a pair of socks and some trainers, though she hated them, she had put them on as quickly as possible preferring to have at least something between her and the ogling eyes of whoever had captured her.

"That room you woke up in is yours, once you're finished here you can go back and change if you desire. In the meantime, I have an opportunity for you, something that you may like." Pressing a few buttons on his Scroll, Nat put in the command for the holographic image to display the image of a human male followed by several lines of text in multiple boxes that detailed differently things about him.

"What do you want?" Artemis inquired.

"Simple, I want you to work for me" Artemis scoffed loudly, her eyes directed upwards and a small amused smirk appeared on her face as she stared at the rather beautiful ceiling for a moment. Soon afterwards however she looked down again and much to both her fascination and concern, she noted that the kid wasn't laughing with her. Instead, Nat simply looked at her as always, calm yet serious in the same expression.

"I don't work for anyone, least of all men" She snarked. "Now excuse me I'm going to return to get revenge on those bastards who killed my people" Turning on her heel, the girl went to take a step forward only to her shock and confusion, she discovered that her leg refused to obey her commands. "What the" She spoke as she tried to lift her leg harder, this time pulling in her aura to assist her with her effort only to no avail.

"Allow me to finish my offer before you walk out Miss Violet." Artemis glared hard attempting to scare the boy into submission however much to her annoyance Nat didn't even give her so much as a look instead preferring the holographic image in front of them. "You want to get revenge against the White Fang, I understand that. What I'm offering you, is far much more miss Violet. There is going to be a war soon, not between nations but between humanity and Salem. The White Fang will make up a good bulk of Salem's forces, terrorising the population, performing hit and run tactics and darker members will probably commit more heinous acts like that your clan underwent."

"So what, this war doesn't involve me, I don't care about the other Kingdoms and their pathetic rules and laws. Who cares if some Grimm bitch wants to destroy humanity or something, none of this has anything to do with me" Artemis's voice far louder then it normal echoed through the somewhat large dining hall of the still in construction castle. Unfortunately for her, she possessed no ability to destroy the magic that kept her pinned to the floor, entirely unable to move as she would have liked to.

"You are already at war Miss Violet, if by some chance you kill all the White Fang nearby your home, then you will be targeted and if you're targeted, then Salem will send one of her own inner council members after you if not her own personal magic user. You will die and with you your clan and whatever sense of pride and honour your clan had" Artemis recoiled back as if struck by an arrow from her own bow. Rage boiled in her veins as she heard the little brat talk back to her, without thinking, she dropped her armour and grabbed her bow. Just as she was about to go for her arrow, however, a streak of light crashed into her freezing her body where it stood entirely unable to move beside her eyes which could only helplessly swivel left and right.

"I will give you this one warning Miss Violet" Nat's voice rang out in a deadly calm whisper, sending shivers down Artemis's spine as all she could do was wait where she was for her imminent demise. "While I saved you from imminent death, the fact remains that your clan was no better than a bunch of slaving matriarchal thugs who killed others simply to get hold of recourses and food. A bunch of bandits nothing more, now I took mercy when I saved your life when I could have easily allowed you to die. However, if I release you now and allow you to go back into the world where you continue your clan's traditions, then I will be responsible for the deaths and enslavement of others. That is not something I am going to allow"

Artemis locked her gaze onto the thin wooden stick in Nat's hands. It looked rather breakable; if she was able to get to it and snap it then it would be him who would be begging for mercy from her. She called on her aura and felt the energy flow within her body, rejuvenating and protecting her from harm as best she could. Focusing on her feet once again, she attempted to raise her left foot and remove it from where it lay stuck on the ground.

Nothing happened. Growling to herself, she focused on a different part of the body like a hand and then a finger, but still, nothing happened and she was forced to stay where she was, frozen like a statue encased in ice.

"Not trying to sound like some kind of Dark Lord or anything, but if you join me I will give you the chance to redeem the honour of your clan, to spit in the eye of Salem and ruin her plans when the war comes. Refuse however and you have two paths ahead of you, the first is that you choose to carry on with your people's tradition and start your own clan. That path will result in your imminent death, the other is that you decide to leave and fight the White Fang on your own terms, most likely dying in the process."

As he spoke, Nat resisted the urge to roll his eyes at how bad this sounded. He wasn't trying to come across as some Dark Lord of the Sith offering a young and naive Jedi UNLIMITED POWER so long as they joined him on his quest. Instead, he wanted to offer the girl the opportunity to get revenge on an enemy who had done a disservice. He was good on his own, but he needed a reliable backup, someone by his side that he knew could handle most threats as well a person who wasn't in it for large stakes of cash. As time went on he knew he could offer people money for their services, but for now, he needed all the things like gold and silver he was mining as either collateral or as materials needed in the actual construction of weapons that would start soon.

"That's not much of a choice" Artemis managed to sputter out through her lips.

" It's a choice between life or death. You get to decide which outcome is preferable" Nat said with a slight smile as if though he was talking about the weather.

"So join you or die"

"Basically" Nat spoke cheerfully as he shrugged his shoulder. It was funny seeing Artemis like this, entirely at the mercy of someone else forced to go against what she preferred. With how prideful the girl was about her clan and about what they did, she had never come to the harsh truth of reality that there was always someone stronger, or faster or more intelligent out there. In this case, her face if she could move it was one of despair as she knew that there was very little way of getting out of this scenario that didn't benefit him. Truthfully Artemis had less choice then she knew since if she decided to take the walk away option and live, then Nat would have ended her life there and then. He did not have the time to keep constant tabs on one girl to ensure that she wasn't acting like some fictional Amazon.

"Men, all the same," She growled. "Fine" She stated angrily. "What are we going to do and what else do you need to tell me?" Nat offered a slight smile before with a flick of his wand, the girl felt her body unfreeze fiving her the ability to move again. For a second Artemis considered firing of an arrow towards Nat or charging him with her daggers drawn, however that thought son vanished as she realised that she likely wouldn't get close enough to deal such a strike.

"First there's Ozpin" With a scowl on her face, Artemis walked back towards the seat that she had been sitting in before and proceeded to rest herself again as she waited for Nat to explain to her things. Over the course of about two hours, Nat informed her more about Salem, her actions, Ozpin and his actions as well as the Maidens and the Relics to which they acted as keys too. At first, there was obvious disbelief however as time went on and Artemis listened, the girl felt her eyebrows rise more and more about the secret and hidden nature of the world that she had never once known about. As she did so, she would ask questions and Nat would answer them to the best of his ability until finally as the information sharing came to an end, Artemis cocked her eye at Nat and asked a simple question.

"So what about you, how did you get your magic?"Artemis inquired as her finger continued to slide up and down the edge of one of her daggers that she had withdrawn from its sheath. The design wasn't anything special, but she had already hunted and killed with this knife showcasing her loyalty and ability to support the clan as all members had to do when they reached a certain age.

"How do you not know I'm a girl in disguise?" Nat asked in a sarcastic manner only to be met with the un-amused face of Artemis as she briefly looked him up and down in a bored uninterested manner.

"The face and the hair can disguise you at first glance, but neither your tone of voice or your physique resembles that of a woman. Besides what self-respecting woman would wear something as tacky as that?" Nat looked towards his own clothing and shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't chosen his state of appearance because it looked cool or made him appear like some sort of secret agent or that type of bullshit; his clothing was practical in nature, designed to be easier to move in and store things on the way. Jeans and trainers were useless with the type of exercise he got up to on a daily basis and certainly weren't designed to deal with combat should he have to fight someone in hand to hand combat lest he reveal the magical world.

"Say's the girl who wears, tight-fitting armour." The girl flushed at the comment and covered her chest area as in to hide that part of her body away though Nat had long since turned his attention back onto his scroll. "Did you just lack the required metal, or did your clan find some sort of pleasure from only wearing enough protection to cover the joints" Seriously Nat thought, the armour that her clan wore may have been much better than that of Pyrrha's considering the fact that it was actually made of metal rather than some leather corset, however the fact remained that Artemis looked like someone had fit her in a sexualised form of Greek armour. It would work, but it left a good chunk of her skin on show and vulnerable to an attack.

"I'll have you know that this armour symbolises the strength of my clan. That we are both warrior and women and that Men should fall beneath of us"

"In other words, get men to ogle at your chest whilst you cut them down" Though blushing a brighter red, the lack of an answer from Artemis only confirmed his theory. Shaking his head he made a mental note that once this mission was completed to get a proper set of armour for the girl to wear. Armour was good and useful, but only when it acted like armour and not something that was best left to the bedroom or Hollywood. Then again, it could have been worse, she could have been wearing bikini armour or some shit like that.

"Well, uh. Just answer the question already dammit"

"You want the truth or the story that you are more likely to believe?" Nat said before taking a sip of his tea though his eyes still lingered on the girl making sure that she didn't try anything like stabbing him with a knife.

"The truth" Artemis replied without hesitation.

"I'm from a different universe or planet, it doesn't really matter which. Either way, I was born with magic, went to school and learned to use it. Then a few months ago someone tried to kill me using apparation as the main method, it failed to kill me however it did manage to land me here In Remnant where I was finally found and recovered." In a bored manner, before Artemis had a chance to react to the disbelief, Nat rapidly summoned a series of books on the second world war and proceeded to open showcasing to her a map of the world even if it was one of several decades ago.

"You, you're an alien" Artemis attempted to hide her giggles but ultimately fell short as soon she burst out into full-grown laughter. Smacking the table harshly as she attempted to gather he breath, she went to look up at Nat only for a book to hover directly in her face showcasing the map of Earth. "Haha, what's this a map of your planet?" She managed to cry out as her eyes flickered over to the oddly shaped planet in front of her.

"Yes though to be more specific the larger island of the two on in the centre of the map just above the peninsula" Nat replied with a bored expression as he kept his eyes focused on Artemis's following them as they began to follow his directions until quickly she located the British Isles just of Frances northern coast.

"Great Britain" Artemis worded the name slowly as she stared at the relatively small island that was on the map. "That's where you're from" Nat nodded. "What's so great about it?"

"It's a geographic term. Thousands of years ago when the Romans came, they named the entire island Britannia. Since then, the island has been divided between three countries which united to become the nation of Great Britain. Great specifically relates to Scotland which is the northern bit as England and Wales combined actually make up Britain, so when you add Scotland in, it makes Britain Great. Then when you add in Northern Ireland, the name of the country changes to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which is its official name; Most of the time though, the entire nation of the UK is referred to as Britain for shorthand.

"And who are the Romans?" Artemis asked as she tried to deny the growing sense of both wonderment growing within her, alongside shock and other emotions. Subconsciously she thought that if her captor couldn't give her much information, then it would help her disprove his wild claim.

"The Romans or more accurately the Roman Empire was a European Empire that spanned all corners of the Mediteereane sea and had their Capital as the city of Rome that was located on the west coast of the Italian Peninsula" Out of nowhere, a piece of paper appeared in front of Elyria this time focusing on a certain part of this strange new world. In the centre she recognised was the same boot-shaped peninsula as the other map only it was coloured a deep red alongside most of the surrounding area alongside part of the island of Britannia.

"What happened to them?"

"They did what all empires did, they fell"

"How did they take up so much land if it was thousands of years ago, wouldn't only small villages be left because of the Grimm?" While it wasn't unheard of for kingdoms to claim vast tracks of territory, everyone knew that very little of it was actually governed, most of the time a nation's territory was only used for things like mining or fishing rights but again that was limited because of a lack of infrastructure.

"There is no such thing as Grimm back home, No nation or empire has ever had to fight them"

"That's, that's impossible. How can a world exist without Grimm?" Artemis replied in shock. Taking a sip of his tea, Nat changed the world map to a more modern globe so as to give each nation their respective size and geography it's fair due.

"They just didn't come to be, evolution didn't turn out that way sparing us from that horror" Idly, Nat wondered how Earth would have been like if Grimm had existed. Without a doubt, it would be very different seeing as Grimm had prevented many things that people back home had taken for granted. For one, with Grimm preventing mass communication, empires like the Romans would never have been to expand that far and hold the terrain realistically. European colonisation would also take longer due to the ever-present concern of Grimm, as would the world wars with nations being forced to withhold troops lest the nightmare beasts take advantage of the situation and spill into the cities and towns with the express purpose of killing everyone in sight.

"Evolution, what are you even talking about" Of course Nat remembered, he was unaware of how humans and Faunus had come to be in this world compared to his own. With Qrows memories stating that Ozpin knew that some old pair of brothers had created the world and all life, it became possible that humans on this planet simply didn't evolve over thousands of years, but were placed on the planet. He seriously doubted such a theory though and unless a person was able to show him hard evidence for the existence of these deities, then he would have to dismiss them as nothing more than folklore and lies as all religions were.

"Back home, humans evolved from apes over millions of years and before that apes evolved from other mammals and from those creatures were other species. This goes back for millions upon millions of years, we even have names for these era's such as the Jurassic age." Artemis raised a speculative eyebrow as she heard that, however, her attention was drawn to the planet known as Earth as images of the early humans spread across the world into different regions and evolved into tribes, and then into villages, which turned into towns and then cities and then empires. It was a constant flickering of different colours with random names and dates appearing. At times Artemis witnessed as a kingdom appeared, conquered it's neighbours and then began to shrink in territory before finally shattering in a glass-like animation.

"Wait when you say evolve, you mean to say that you weren't placed on your planet by a god" Nat shook his head quickly hoping to dissuade the assumption that some deity or another was responsible for humanity when they didn't even exist. And even if some great intelligent and powerful being was the one who kick-started everything off, then which one was it. The Christians would say it was their god, the Muslims there's, then there were also the Jews, the Ancient Greeks, The Egyptians, Japanese Gods, Native American gods, the old Celtic gods. Frankly, it would be downright impossible to tell which one was correct.

"Nope," Nat popped the p. "The universe began just over thirteen and a half billion years ago when the big bang happened and created the universe, then four and a half billion years ago Earth was formed. Fast forward a billion years later and we know for certain that the smallest form of life existed on Earth in the form of single-celled organisms which is because Earth managed to luck out and gain all the necessary things to support it. Then if you fast forward again past massive geographic changes to the planet, multiple extinction events, the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, one of many ice ages and arrive at two hundred thousand years ago, then the very first human emerges. From which, it then took us 190,000 years for us to develop agriculture and form civilization. Ten thousand years after that, we humans evolved as a species, have gone through thousands of wars including two world wars and one very cold one where the world would have been destroyed had it turned hot, have landed on our moon, are planning on colonising space and are painfully aware of our entire insignificance in the universe around us."

Nat didn't smile as he rattled off that answer. It was always strange when he thought about that type of thing, it was unpleasant and took a large amount of time to fade away, however, no matter what happened it kept returning, taunting and taunting him as if attempting to mock him. He shook his head briefly and returned back to the topic, the faster he got Artemis's help in this war the faster he could continue on with his plans.

"You landed on your moon?" Artemis exclaimed loudly. "I thought that was impossible"

"Maybe with dust, but not with rocket fuel. You see the advantage that we have on Earth is that when all those dinosaurs and ferns died millions of years ago, their remains became more and more compact as time went on. Eventually, after enough time and pressure, their remains became petroleum which is what we use to power our cars."

"You drive your cars on dead animals"? Artemis stared at Nat in a slight look of abject horror as she imagined the scene of some poor horse being slaughtered and then having its blood taken to some factory to produce a type of fuel which was then used to blast a rocket into space.

"Well technically yes, though it isn't what you're thinking and honestly, I don't really have the time to explain to you the long complex and very bloody history of Earth. The fact of the matters is that I'm a human who can use magic and accidentally end up here and whose goal is to stop a tyrannical grim woman from destroying everything. Oh, and I want your help" Nat finished with a fake smile as the illusion magic depicting Earth vanished instead leaving the two of them to stare at an image of a man in his early fifties.

"You want me to help you fight an evil woman?" Artemis said slowly as if she was trying to piece a puzzle together. "Why do you need me, you can probably do all kinds of things with your magic"

"I don't need you to fight her, I need you to help me run covert operations around the globe as we do our best to prepare the nations for the coming onslaught that is going to be a Grimm war"

"Covert, why would we do covert missions instead of just fighting the evil woman herself" Nat rolled his eyes at the accusation, it was always the same from muggle raised people when they heard of something like this. Why bother with being subtle when you could fight the enemy all by yourself. They acted as if magic was some type of weapon that required no skill or planning or didn't have grades of strength that individuals used. Seriously, one might have imagined that those muggle realised people who grew up in the time period of the second Magical war with Voldemort would have realised that.

"One, because I don't know where she is, two is that I don't know how powerful she is which could end in my death if I was not careful. Three, nobody in the world besides yourself knows about my magic giving us an incredible advantage that would only be thrown away once revealed. Four is because I don't want to be harassed on a daily basis for having some strange power that most people could only dream or write novels about."

"Okay but why me? Why ask me to help you with your grand strategy in beating this woman. If you were really that serious, you could just walk into any tavern and hire the first Huntsman that you like?" Admittedly it wasn't the smartest idea to just hire the first person you saw if you were going to wage a secret war against an enemy Artemis would later admit, but it was still better to find a person who would actually suit the job profile than some girl who had her entire clan murdered before her eyes because of some White Fang bastards.

"Because your my own age and so it won't feel so awkward if I were to give you orders, two your experienced in combat and I would be willing to pay for lessons, third, you can get revenge on those who killed your family and fourth, because it could be fun and you have nowhere else to go right now nor any money to achieve your goals," Artemis growled furiously at the answer, so he thought that she was only good for the job because her people had been killed, had they survived than would he have simply ignored her for someones.

"That's it" Nat nodded casually.

"You are still able to take up my offer of leaving so long as you never commit the acts that your clan did"

"Their part of my culture, you can't tell me not to treat men as equals, their nothing but thugs and bandits. That would be like saying that you can't drink tea" She argued.

"Actual their not alike, one is a beverage that is consumed and affects only one person, the other however is a mental attitude that results in innocent men being kidnapped, tortured and executed. That is all there is to it Miss Violet so again I will reiterate my offer to join me or leave and never take up such vile practices again"

"Fine" She yelled not at all trusting him to actually let her leave. Already he had promised to kill her if she were to return to her true ways of how a woman should behave. It was cruel and the desire to kill this boy for daring to impose such rules made her desire to strangle him in his sleep even greater, yet she didn't stand a chance. While his skills with a blade were not up to hers, he had shown the typical deceitfulness nature of men already by using magic to overpower her where natural strength could not. She could lie to him and then leave, but if he did have magic as he had demonstrated, then he might simply track her down one day and decide to kill her when she wasn't looking. No, it was better for her safety to keep an eye on him and prevent him from harming her when she didn't see it coming. "Just what exactly is your next big plan, take down a White Fang base, destroy a dust shipment?"

"Kidnapping a weapons expert actually" Artemis blinked. Against her own anger at following a man's instructions of all things, she focused to where Nat was pointing on the Hologram. "Long story short, I'm planning on creating weapons however as I do not have the required experience in either designing them or anything else, that leaves me as rather limited in what I can do. As such, I need to get on my side a person who known weapons inside and out, a person who can craft me a new design that can be produced easily and sold to the average person for a good price"

"A weapons dealer" Artemis scoffed loudly as she stared unimpressed by the man that her saviour wanted to kidnap. He wasn't anything special, probably didn't have much strength on him because of living in a cushy job in some office building where he drank coffee every day. "I thought you were planning on fighting the White Fang, not go on some business venture to earn a couple Lien?"

"War is about more than individual confrontations between small numbers of combatants. Taking down a few White Fang bases here and there may assist in the war, but in grand strategy, it is a waste of a person of my calibre abilities"

"Wow ego much"

"The weapons industry is nonexistent in everywhere but Atlas and even then, it's unpractical order weapons of them due to the sheer cost. When the war kicks off, the other kingdoms will be left without a capacity to wage war and very likely will require months if not years to form one. If Salem is able to isolate Atlas in that time and prevent arms from being sold, then the rest of the world is in severe danger. However should there be a new producer of arms and other war materials, then perhaps I can equip the nonexistent armies of the other kingdoms with enough equipment until they have the capacity to do it themselves." Nat explained to the girl hoping that she would at least grasp the basic concept of why producing weapons was of such high tactical and strategic importance. In all honesty he had no idea how long it would take the other kingdoms to organise their shit together and actually prepare for war.

Not one nation including even Atlas would be able to produce anything like that of what even the UK did during the Second World War not to mention the severe quantity that the US did. Not one kingdom had the cities needed for such a thing leaving them very vulnerable to bombing runs should the enemy actually become intelligent with their machines. Then again, considering the fact that they mostly stole Atlas weapons and that kingdom had some very stupid ideas such as giant mecha suit's perhaps the world wasn't as screwed as people thought.

"So then why not just steal the weapons blueprints and give them to someone in the other kingdoms and ask them to produce them."

"Does it look like I have that kind of money for such frivolous spending?" Nat bit back sarcastically. "And before you ask about contacting the Kingdoms councils, actually think about it. Some random kid asks you to start preparing for a full-scale war because an evil Grim lady is coming to kill them all. It sounds ridiculous and besides the White Fang would either steal or blow up any weapons and ammunition anyway." The untold thing was that Salem had agents of some form or another in every city in the world, therefore if there was a very sudden ramping up of large scale weapons out of nowhere and especially if that came out from government funding, then Salem would very much like to know why nations were preparing for a war when they had spent the last few decades in a gentle peace.

"Fine, who is this guy?"

"James Sky, formerly he worked for the Atlas military R&D department. Defected to the White Fang several years ago after gaining Faunus sympathies, since then however he's reportedly grown a distaste for the organisation's recent activities. Six months ago, the White Fang faked his death after he embarrassed the group on live TV since then he's been held captive in a secure site where he's been forced to help the organisation with setting up their members in the procurement of Atlas military tech. We are going to bust him out and recruit him."

"Okay, how are we going to hide this from the White Fang? If this man just vanishes their going to get suspicious." Nat gave her a slight grin.

"They won't if they think it's the Atlassian Military doing the job"

"I don't follow"

"It's very simple, I will first rescue Mr Sky from their clutches, whilst that occurs you are going to plant enough explosive devices to blow up all the dust that their little research place has stored. After Mr Sky's rescue, we enter the place under the guise of Atlas special forces, have a quick battle and then by some mistake, a bullet misses the enemy striking one of the many containers of dust and blows them up incinerating everything and everyone."

Artemis was speechless. She had expected the quick in and out extraction that her new boss as frankly he didn't seem to be the brave type who would face an enemy directly with a clash of steel in a deadly game of dance of skill, but to actively plan on blowing up what was likely a major White Fang base resulting in the death's of hundreds if not thousands of people was something entirely unexpected. Yet not once did she even feel guilty about completing such a task, instead, it actually made her kind of gleeful.

On her own, she may kill a few White Fang bastards, but she wouldn't do much more than that, however, this opportunity presented to her would give her the express ability to dispatch thousands at once. In one fell swoop, she could bring honour back to her clan and leave their spirits to rest. As it was she didn't care about this hidden war that the boy wanted to wage, but the prospect of being used as some kind of weapon pointed at the throat of the enemy and told to let loose very much did have a certain thrill to it. How much damage could she do she wondered, how many enemy lives destroyed if she followed the direction of this boy.

It was incredibly thrilling, just the anticipation got her to grin. Soon the White Fang would pay for what they did to her people and then afterwards she would extract interest.

"Any questions"

"When do we start?


End file.
